Discovery hasn't closed its deal for WarnerMedia yet, but there are signs that CNN may be in line for a change.
Chris Licht was named the new head of CNN by Discovery on Monday. Jeff Zucker resigned as head of the network after failing to disclose his office relationship with an ex-CNN marketing head. According to an internal memo received by CNBC, if Discovery's merger with WarnerMedia closes next month, Licht will start at CNN in May.
According to people familiar with the matter, Discovery CEO David Zaslav was the only one who called about taking over for Zucker. The people who asked not to be named said that there wasn't a bakeoff among executives or any outside hiring firm involved in the decision.
Zaslav and Licht have known each other for over a decade, and Zaslav has frequently attended Licht's parties at his house in the Hamptons.
Zaslav said he believes Chris is the best person to lead CNN Global as part of Warner Bros. Discovery.
The television industry has a reputation for being a good place to turn around a business. After founding Morning Joe with Joe Scarborough in 2007, he joined CBS to re-invent the show. He became the executive producer of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2016 and helped boost ratings.
If you want to bring CNN closer to its original mission of just doing the news, he is your guy, according to a media consultant who worked with him at CBS.
While Zaslav hasn't made any public comments about displeasure with the CNN under Zucker, Discovery board member and controlling shareholder John Malone told CNBC in November he would prefer CNN to return to its former glory.
I would like to see CNN evolve back to the kind of journalism that it started with and have journalists, which would be unique and refreshing.
Zucker steered CNN into a mix of hard news, commentary from anchors, and lighter weekend shows after his surprise resignation.
Ryan Kadro, who worked with Licht at CBS, said that he isn't afraid to tell talent what they need to hear.
The November 2016 episode that aired when Donald Trump won the presidential election was the turning point for the show gaining an identity, according to Kadro. When she had no news anchoring experience, Kadro gave credit to Licht for choosing Gayle King as a co- host of CBS This Morning.
Kadro said that it was all Chris.
CBS This Morning was focused on hard news rather than softer features. The show made significant ratings gains for NBC, Today, and ABC.
The shift to hard news on CBS is in line with the wishes of CNN's founder, but it may conflict with broadcasting news in more non-partisan ways.
Zucker specialized in getting CNN's talent to show their true selves, which resulted in reporters calling out Trump's lies and misstatements in increasingly assertive ways throughout his time in office.
One former colleague said Zucker was a role model. CNN employees have praised Zucker in recent weeks and that could be good news.
When he arrived at CBS, he immediately went on a listening tour to find out what was working and what wasn't. Zucker and Gollust were seen internally by some CNN staffers as a likely eventual replacement for Zucker.
In a memo he wrote to CNN staff, he said he would do a lot of listening.
In a memo he wrote to CNN staff Monday, Licht put the word "news" in all capital letters.
How will CNN change is one of the many questions CNN staff have. I don't know yet. David Zaslav told me to make sure that CNN remains the global leader in News as part of Warner Bros. Discovery.
John Stankey says that CNN's Jeff Zucker made the decision to resign.
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