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NEW YORK (AP) — Embattled CNN CEO Chris Licht apologized Monday to network employees for distracting them from their work and promised to criticize him during his year at the helm. “Fight like hell” to earn their trust.
Licht’s tenure hit rock bottom last week with a lengthy and damaging report contour His reporting in The Atlantic and his new appointment manager CNN is run with help from parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.
On an editorial call, Lichter said he regretted that his role in the news cycle overshadowed the work of CNN reporters, according to the transcript of the call. He described it as a humbling experience.
Licht said he would work hard to earn their trust “because you deserve a leader in the trenches fighting to make sure CNN remains the most trusted news brand in the world.”
“CNN is not about me,” he said. “I shouldn’t be on the news.”
A CNN spokesman had no further comment on Monday.
Light replace a popular leader, jeff sugar, tasked with winning back some of CNN’s viewers who had been alienated by former President Donald Trump’s attacks. This caused some internal dissatisfaction, and for many, Trump’s Town Hall Last month’s meeting was mistake.
This executive’s revamp of CNN’s morning show failed, leading to the firing of longtime personality Tang Lemon. Licht’s plan to restructure the network primetime lineup It has moved slowly. Kaitlan Collins will start a new show later this month, and CNN has signed Charles Barkley and Gail King to host the weekly show.
Writer Tim Alberta wrote in his Atlantic column that Licht accepted his new job “with swagger” and told staff they had distanced themselves from Trump’s hostility viewers who view CNN as a security hub. That puts him in a position to win over Republicans, as well as some CNN reporters, who see Licht as a scapegoat for his efforts to please his boss, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav.
“One year into his tenure, Licht has lost both,” Alberta wrote.
CNN’s prime-time ratings averaged 494,000 in May, according to Nielsen. That’s less than half of MSNBC’s revenue, which is down 16% from April. The accelerating trend of cord-cutting isn’t helping cable networks retain viewers, either.
CNN’s May 10 Trump town hall drew 3.3 million viewers, but its prime-time ratings plummeted to 335,000 two nights later, Nielsen said.
David Leavy, one of Zaslav’s top aides at Warner Discovery, was named CNN Worldwide’s chief operating officer last week, reporting to Licht. Leavy will oversee CNN’s business, operations and promotions, the network said.
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