Chris Licht, Chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide.
Courtesy: CNN
CNN CEO Chris Licht is set to get help running his news network from a longtime close confidant Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav.
Licht announced Thursday that it has hired David Leavy as CNN’s new chief operating officer. Leavy is the head of corporate affairs at Warner Bros. Discovery has been closely cooperating with Zaslav for more than 15 years. Licht took over as CEO of CNN in April 2022.
The move appears to give Zaslav another window into what’s going on at CNN. Licht drew increasing attention from his own staff amid declining ratings and questionable decision-making.
Reporters and staff openly criticized Licht’s decision to air out Donald Trump’s town hall last month with legions of screaming fans. Licht has from acknowledged production issues while he was behind the decision to broadcast Trump’s town hall live.
Placing Leavy next to Licht could be seen as a proxy for Zaslav. Bringing in an executive who served as a consigliere to Zaslav for more than a decade suggests there are few boundaries or secrets between Licht and Zaslav.
Leavy’s hiring was actually Licht’s idea, not Zaslav’s, according to people familiar with the matter. Leavy helped Licht find a COO for CNN and acted as a sounding board for candidates. CNN initially made the offer to the women’s news anchor, said the people, who asked not to be named because the discussions were private. However, Licht wanted someone to start immediately, and this executive was still under contract in her current position.
David Leavy, Chief Operating Officer, CNN Worldwide.
Source: CNN
When that fell through, Leavy suggested he might be a good fit for the job. Both Licht and Leavy then went to Zaslav with the idea, and he opted out, the people said. A CNN spokesman declined to comment.
Leavy will be based in Washington, DC, near where his family lives.
Running CNN
Leavy knows the executives and operations across Warner Bros. Discovery and will now lead CNN’s marketing, public relations, advertising sales, equipment and other logistics.
Chris Marlin, CNN’s head of strategy and business operations, will now focus on generating alternative revenue streams for the network outside of television, the job he was originally hired to do, according to one of the people familiar with the hiring process. Such opportunities include potential partnerships or sponsorships, the person said.
Licht’s background is in show producing, appearing on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” Hiring Leavy should allow Licht to focus more on programming and editorial strategy and less on logistics. Leavy will have no contribution to CNN’s editorial page.
Licht made significant changes to CNN’s television programming, including building a new morning show and primetime. The first results were discouraging. CNN’s ratings fell 16% in May from April, both in total prime-time viewers and among adults 25-54, a prized demographic for advertisers. according to Nielsen data. Average daily viewership fell 13% overall and 17% among adults 25 to 54.
CNN fired by Don Lemon in April and is moving Kaitlin Collins to its prime time slot of 9 p.m. Both anchors were included Licht’s original morning showwhich lasted less than a year.
CNN’s overall and prime-time ratings, according to Nielsen, trailed both Fox News and MSNBC. Fox News Channel averaged 1.09 million daytime viewers and 1.42 million primetime viewers in May. MSNBC averaged 736,000 daytime viewers and 1.16 million primetime viewers. CNN averaged just 416,000 daytime viewers and 494,000 in primetime.
David Zaslav, CEO, Warner Bros. Discovery.
Anjali Sundaram | CNBC
In recent weeks, Zaslav has interviewed some CNN staffers to get a sense of how things are going, according to people familiar with the matter, who did not want to be named because the discussions were private.
But while Zaslav and Licht aren’t thrilled with CNN’s ratings, they are connected as they chart CNN’s strategy moving forward. Leavy’s hiring only underscores that connection.
WATCH: CNBC’s full interview with Warner Bros. CEO Discovery by David Zaslav