Dumpster Diving: Meet CNN's New Boss. He's The Same As The Old Boss

Written By BlabberBuzz | Monday, 28 February 2022 12:00 PM
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Dumpster Diving: Meet CNN's New Boss. He's The Same As The Old Boss

The Classic Rock band the who have a song called 'Won't Get Fooled Again', in it there is a line that we got the title of this article from, 'meet the new boss...same as the old boss'. The fact is this is true with CNN's new leader - a guy who worked for Colbert and MSDNC's Joe Scarborough. It looks like the new owner of CNN is not that different from the old one.

Anyway, in a long-anticipated move, CNN announced a replacement for former President Jeff Zucker, who left the network earlier this month in the midst of scandal.

The parties involved have not yet commented on the anticipated appointment. But Licht's hiring will be announced next week, one of three sources with knowledge of the plan said.

CBS's Chris Licht, known for his work on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and MSNBC's Morning Joe, will step in to lead CNN, the cable news network announced Saturday, nearly one month following Zucker's departure, following the release of findings from an internal investigation.

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"Licht has more than two decades of television news experience. He has a reputation as a hands-on producer and talent manager with a keen interest in politics and news," CNN's Brian Stelter wrote in the Saturday announcement.

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On Feb. 2, Zucker resigned over his failure to disclose a consensual relationship with a coworker. Zucker kept the relationship secret for years until an investigation into ousted anchor Chris Cuomo unearthed the affair. In the interim, three CNN executives have filled the position.

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With Licht, Zaslav would be bringing fresh eyes to CNN, mirroring what sources said at the time of Zucker's exit: That Discovery executives view Zucker's departure as a "fresh start" for the news organization.

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Unlike Zucker, who oversaw both news and sports assets for WarnerMedia, Licht's role will have him exclusively overseeing news, according to one of the sources. Licht's impending promotion was first reported by Dylan Byers of Puck, who called Licht "the wunderkind producer of his generation with an ability to win over talent and see value where others don't."

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While Zucker oversaw news and sports at the network, Licht is slated to oversee only news. It remains unclear who will oversee the network's sports.

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The former network president played a key role in giving former President Donald Trump substantial airtime during his 2016 campaign.

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CNN's current owner, AT&T, is in the midst of a merger. WarnerMedia conglomerate and Discovery are set to come together in April with Discovery CEO David Zaslav at the head, a reshuffling Discovery executives called a "fresh start" following Zucker's departure.

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In 2011 Licht leaped to CBS and engineered "CBS This Morning," a brand new production of CBS News. He moved to "The Late Show" in 2016 and has worked closely with Colbert ever since. At "The Late Show," Licht has leaned hard into the news, often booking political guests and creating live events after presidential addresses. When Russia invaded Ukraine, "The Late Show" adjusted its lineup and added a subject matter expert for Colbert to interview.

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