Embattled CNN CEO Chris Licht apologized to staffers on Monday morning for causing distractions, indicating he plans to stay on the job despite shocking reports that have raised questions about his future.
"I know these past few days have been very hard for this group. I fully recognize that this news cycle and my role in it overshadowed the incredible week of reporting that we just had, and distracted from the work of every single journalist in this org. And for that, I am sorry," Licht told CNN employees on an editorial call, a network insider told Fox News Digital.
Licht was referring to a devastating report by The Atlantic’s Tim Alberta published Friday about the turbulent year he has had as CNN's CEO. The report included colorful details about the network's widely criticized town hall with former President Trump, Licht's tense working relationship with ex-CNN host Don Lemon and his possibly dwindling support from David Zaslav, the CEO of CNN parent company Warner Bros. Discovery. The Atlantic’s piece has been the talk of the media industry, with many wondering why an outside reporter would be given unprecedented access to Licht.
"As I read that article, I found myself thinking, CNN is not about me… I should not be in the news unless it's taking arrows for you. Your work is what should be written about," Licht said. "To those whose trust I've lost, I will fight like hell to win it back, because you deserve a leader who will be in the trenches, fighting to ensure CNN remains the world's most trusted name in news."
The mainstream media has had knives out for Licht in recent weeks, with another stinging report about Licht from Puck's Dylan Byers following the unflattering Atlantic piece.
Byers focused on Zaslav's recent appointment of longtime corporate ally David Leavy as CNN's new COO, noting that "for all intents and purposes" he will be a co-CEO and take on much of Licht’s business-side responsibilities.
Byers, a former Zucker-era CNN media reporter who's provided scathing coverage of Licht's tenure as the network chief, swiped Zaslav's statement to Alberta, which he said was "by no means a ringing endorsement of Licht, but rather a generic, ChatGPT-style statement of support that provides him total optionality for CNN’s future." He then included the full statement that Brown had provided, revealing it primarily focused on defending CNN itself rather than Licht.
"Managing CNN, especially now, may yet be damn near impossible. But in the post-Alberta, post-Leavy era, one thing seems clear: Licht better have a new plan. He’s going to need it," Byers warned.
On the heels of Licht's rough weekend, ex-CNN media correspondent Brian Stelter wrote for New York Magazine on Sunday that roughly 40 CNN staffers reached out to him, largely to complain or vent about Licht.
"Many CNN staffers feel the news operation isn’t broken and thus doesn’t need Zaslav or Licht to fix it. Zaslav, who seems not to agree, has channeled his views through Licht, sometimes loudly enough that others could overhear him doing so over the phone. But now Zaslav is telling associates that Leavy is bringing adult supervision — a seeming indictment of Licht," Stelter wrote.
"Staffers I spoke with were startled by the lapse in judgment that Licht’s participation in The Atlantic profile represented. And they were particularly offended by Licht’s assertion that CNN unduly hyped COVID for ratings," the former CNN reporter continued, rejected the notion that CNN used COVID for ratings before he was fired.
"He’s done," a CNN staffer told Stelter, while another said, "There’s no coming back from that [Atlantic] profile." Notably, Licht fired Stelter last year in a rebuke of the scolding, partisan style some anchors employed under former CNN boss Jeff Zucker.
Also on Sunday, The New York Times published a feature on Zucker, whom Licht replaced last year. Zucker, whose tenure was marked by CNN's lurch to the left, was forced out ahead of the planned merger that put CNN under Warner Bros. Discovery’s control. Zucker has been annoyed by Licht's potshots at CNN's prior journalism style, and by extension, Zucker himself. The network still contains many staffers and on-air talent loyal to Zucker.
"Executives at Warner Bros. Discovery believe Mr. Zucker is waging a proxy war against Mr. Licht, undermining his leadership from afar," the Times reported.
CNN has suffered significant ratings declines during the Licht era, and the searing reports come on the heals of the intense backlash he received from CNN staffers over the network's handing of last month's town hall with Trump.
CNN HEMORRHAGING VIEWERS SINCE IRKING LIBERALS WITH TRUMP TOWN HALL, HITS SEVERAL RECENT LOWS
CNN's own media reporter Oliver Darcy wrote in his "Reliable Sources" newsletter, "It's hard to see how America was served by the spectacle of lies that aired on CNN."
Licht later scolded Darcy for his "emotional" coverage, but that was before veteran journalist Christiane Amanpour offered a scathing indictment of the town hall during a commencement address and even called out Licht by name.
CNN has continued hemorrhaging viewers, particularly in the wake of the town hall, losing nearly a third of its primetime viewers since the live TV event. That's on top of the already-dwindling audience it has had in recent years. His reshuffling of CNN's daytime anchors earlier this year seemed to have little impact as well.
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Despite the onslaught of criticism from everyone including the outside press and own employees, it appears Licht is determined to fight back.
