NEW YORK — Chris Licht, the embattled chief government of CNN, apologized to community workers on Monday for distracting from their work and promised to “fight like hell” to earn their belief amid criticism of his 12 months on the helm.
Licht’s tenure hit a low level final week with publication of a prolonged, damaging profile of him in Atlantic journal and the appointment of a brand new government from guardian firm Warner Bros. Discovery to assist handle CNN.
Licht stated on an editorial convention name that he was sorry that his position within the information cycle overshadowed the work of CNN’s journalists, in accordance with a transcript of the decision. He described it as a humbling expertise.
Licht stated he would work to win their belief, “because you deserve a leader who will be in the trenches, fighting to ensure CNN remains the world’s most trusted name in news.”
“CNN is not about me,” he stated. “I should not be in the news.”
A CNN spokesperson had no additional touch upon Monday.
Licht changed a well-liked chief, Jeff Zucker, with a mandate to win again a few of the viewers alienated from CNN by former President Donald Trump’s assaults. That has triggered some inside resentment and, for a lot of, Trump’s city corridor assembly final month was a misstep.
The government’s revamp of CNN’s morning present fell flat, resulting in the firing of longtime persona Don Lemon. Licht’s plans to restructure the community’s prime-time lineup have moved slowly. Kaitlan Collins is to start a brand new present later this month, and CNN has signed Charles Barkley and Gayle King to host a once-a-week program.
In his Atlantic profile, author Tim Alberta wrote that Licht had “swaggered” into his new job, telling workers their hostility towards Trump had alienated viewers who noticed CNN because the protected heart. This put him within the place of preventing to win over Republicans in addition to some CNN journalists who believed they had been being made scapegoats by Licht’s efforts to please his boss, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav.
“One year into the job, Licht was losing both battles,” Alberta wrote.
CNN’s prime-time viewership averaged 494,000 in May, the Nielsen firm stated. That’s lower than half of what MSNBC will get, and down 16% from April. An accelerating pattern of cord-cutting isn’t serving to cable networks maintain viewers, both.
CNN reached 3.3 million folks for its Trump city corridor on May 10, but two nights later its prime-time viewership plunged to 335,000 folks, Nielsen stated.
One of Zaslav’s high aides at Warner Discovery, David Leavy, was appointed final week as chief working officer of CNN Worldwide, reporting to Licht. Leavy will likely be accountable for business, operational and promotional actions at CNN, the community stated.
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