CNN Names Mark Thompson as New Chairman and CEO

On Wednesday, CNN named Mark Thompson as its new chairman and CEO, effective Oct. 9. The announcement came from parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.

Key Details: Thompson is a former CEO of the New York Times (Lean Left bias), where he helped grow its digital subscriber base. He succeeds Chris Licht as head of CNN.

Key Quote: “Mark has been in the news business for more than four decades and, as many of you are aware, he has an exceptional track record of innovation and excellence,” Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav told CNN employees in a staff memo.

For Context: Chris Licht was ousted as CEO in June after serving a little more than a year. His tenure began with a turn toward "nonpartisan" programming, but was beset by dwindling profits, poor ratings, and talent shakeups such as the departures of Chris Cuomo, Don Lemon, and Jeff Zucker. This led to CNN announcing an overhaul of its programming earlier this month.

How the Media Covered it: News of Thompson's takeover at CNN was covered by sources across the political spectrum, with many noting the struggles CNN faces due to lower ratings and the need to more fully enter the digital market space.