CNN has a new CEO. The network welcomed Mark Thompson as its new chief executive on Wednesday after being appointed directly by David Zaslav, CEO of CNN's parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery. Zaslav said in a statement that Thompson, who served as the former executive director of The New York Times and director general of the BBC, is renowned for helping both of these outlets with their transition to digital. Zaslav concluded that Thompson was the most right man for the job:
There isn’t a more experienced, respected or capable executive in the news business today than Mark, and we are thrilled to have him join our team and lead CNN Worldwide into the future.
Internal note from @WBD CEO David Zaslav to @CNN staff internally about the Mark Thompson hire just went out. (See below) https://t.co/xj1JhlDVKb pic.twitter.com/8zWdFP2Unp
— Sara Fischer (@sarafischer) August 30, 2023
Thompson was quick to react to the news. In statements to CNN, the new CEO, who will officially begin his tenure on Oct. 9, said that he "couldn’t be more excited about the chance to join CNN after years of watching it and competing against it with a mixture of admiration and envy":
The world needs accurate trustworthy news now more than ever and we’ve never had more ways of meeting that need at home and abroad. Where others see disruption, I see opportunity. I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and get down to work with my new colleagues to build a successful future for CNN.
Thompson's predecessor: a 'brief and tumultuous' tenure
CNN parted with former CEO Chris Licht in June of this year after a "brief and tumultuous" tenure, which included one of the worst years in the network's history. According to a statement at the time, CNN faced unprecedented challenges:
Licht’s departure capped a tumultuous year for CNN, marked by layoffs, shrinking profits, historically low ratings, the firing of two anchors, and rock-bottom employee morale. The chaos that defined the last year also followed several other gut punches to the organization, including the ouster of previous leader, Jeff Zucker, and shuttering of nascent streaming service CNN+.
He was replaced by a committee of veteran CNN journalists Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley and Eric Sherling. They were joined by David Leavy, former advisor to David Zaslav. All of them will remain with the company under Thompson's command.
