CNN boss Chris Licht has been hitting the phones to network anchors “he’s never spoken to before” as he twists on the recent seat after a damning magazine profile called into query his leadership, The Post has learned.
Licht, realizing his reign could also be cut short after only one 12 months, has engaged in major damage control that features calling the ratings-challenged network’s top talent, multiple sources told The Post on Tuesday.
“He has been calling anchors who’ve never spoken to him before,” said a source. “He must win the room however the [Atlantic] piece shortened his window of time to do this.”
Inside CNN, there’s a countdown for when David Zaslav, the CEO of the network’s parent Warner Bros Discovery, will pull the trigger on firing his appointed puppet after installing lieutenant David Leavy as CNN chief operating officer last week, sources said.
Some are speculating that the hammer will drop across the Fourth of July — in a bid to bury the news throughout the holiday weekend — while others think Licht has just a few months to show things around.
CNN’s Chris Licht has engaged in major damage control that features calling the ratings-challenged network’s top talent, multiple sources told The PostGetty Images
“It’s a coin toss,” a source said, noting that no person except for Zaslav really knows the fate of Licht. “But one thing is of course, CNN needs to begin planning its presidential election coverage.”
Already, internal names have been bandied about as to who would replace Licht, the sources said.
They include Amy Entelis, CNN’s executive vp for talent and content development, and Virginia Moseley, CNN’s executive vp of editorial for the network’s US operation.
Moseley, a Jeff Zucker acolyte, is a hard-nosed executive, who “wears down” her underlings but is “great” at what she does, a source said.
Entelis, then again, is “much softer” and is usually popular with the rank-and-file, one other insider said.
Sources said Amy Entelis, CNN’s executive vp for talent and content development, has been talked about as a substitute for Licht.CNN
Virginia Moseley, a Jeff Zucker acolyte, is a hard-nosed executive, who “wears down” her underlings but is “great” at what she does, a source said. CNN
“Any internal promotion could be like moving across the deck chairs on the Titanic,” one source said, noting that CNN still has to show around its cataclysmic rankings, which plunged 25% in primetime in May in comparison with last 12 months.
Others think Zaslav could keep Licht and have him run editorial operations while Leavy is basically his boss, running the business, but such a demotion may not sit well with Licht — or CNN staffers, in response to sources.
CNN declined to comment.
“It’s a coin toss,” a source said, noting that no person except for David Zaslav, above, really knows the fate of Licht. Getty Images
The 15,000-word Atlantic expose, penned by Tim Alberta, depicted Licht as a thin-skinned, aloof executive who’s isolated from employees who not trust his leadership.
Despite a mea culpa from Licht on Monday, CNN insiders have come down on their boss for alienating supporters and critics alike, including veteran anchor Christiane Amanpour, who confronted Licht on his decision to host a town hall with former President Trump last month.
Anchor Christiane Amanpour confronted Licht on his decision to host a town hall with former President Trump last month. Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP
He has also struggled to win over loyalists of his ousted predecessor Zucker, like Dana Bash, who still stays in close contact along with her former boss, in response to a source. Licht recently gave Bash her first solo anchoring gig because the host of the daytime show “Inside Politics.”
Other top anchors including Jake Tapper, Erin Burnett and Anderson Cooper have voiced their concerns about Licht’s leadership, with some complaining to Leavy, in response to sources cited by The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.
CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy blasted Licht in his Monday newsletter, “Reliable Sources,” writing the Atlantic exposé “called into serious query Licht’s judgment [and] his ability to steer the network’s staff.”
He added that Licht has “alienated much of the worker base and squandered the great will he had when he took helm of the network,” noting that Licht’s efforts to “reset relations greater than a 12 months into his tenure” could also be too little too late.
Licht has also did not win over loyalists of ousted predecessor Zucker, like Dana Bash, above, who still stays in close contact along with her former boss, in response to a source. Getty Images
The reporter noted that Licht’s apology didn’t include his disparagement of CNN’s previous journalism, which left staffers “frustrated” and “offended.”
“Many are sad concerning the awful state of affairs that has taken hold of a corporation they love,” Darcy wrote. “Within the eyes of so many at CNN, there isn’t anything Licht can do at this point to win over their support. They’ve hit the wall with him.”
