What If Licht’s Ideas At CNN Work?
Issue #123 — A new exec will soon be leading CNN, but what they will inherit will be a network already pivoting in a direction steered by the now dismissed Chris Licht.
What If Licht’s Ideas At CNN Work?
The Licht era at CNN is now a thing of the past, but the changes he initiated and was about to initiate may be long-lasting.
Licht’s 13-month tenure as CNN’s chairman and CEO was not a smooth one, to say the least. He, for one, didn’t endear himself to a staff that got spoiled by the closeness and personal touch of its former CEO, Jeff Zucker.
He was also tasked with doing a lot of Warner Bros. Discovery's David Zaslav’s dirty work when he came on board, which included the shutting down of CNN Plus, the massive layoffs CNN conducted late in 2022, and the shifting of coverage from one that was perceived to be left-leaning and moving it back to the center.
Amidst all that, Licht, considered a programming maestro after the success of MSNBC's Morning Joe and CBS News CBS This Morning, failed to execute a programming strategy that boosted CNN’s troubling ratings.
Perhaps managing a global news network interfered with what Licht did best. He botched his attempt at reworking mornings with the uncomfortable and controversial pairing of Don Lemon, Poppy Harlow, and Kaitlan Collins on CNN This Morning, and he took forever to devise a strategy for the 9 pm ET hole that had been vacant since Chris Cuomo’s departure in 2021.
Then there was the much-criticized town hall with former president Donald Trump.
But, glimmers of his producer touch were beginning to slowly bubble to the top as he entered his second year running the network. A focus on CNN’s reporting strength with The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper and the revamp of how daytime news is presented with CNN News Central were promising executions from Licht and his team.
A revamped on-air look debuted a day before the self-immolating profile from The Atlantic was published. This on-air look, which resembled the previous on-air look, is a cleaner and fresher presentation for the network.
Then there was word that Licht was about to announce a new anchor team to join Poppy Harlow on CNN This Morning.
CNN White House correspondent Phil Mattingly and business correspondent Rahel Solomon were set to be announced as the new co-anchors of the morning show. Mattingly has been seated alongside Harlow for some time now, while Rahel has also made numerous appearances on the show, including the weekend editions of CNN This Morning.
During this go-around, Licht went about the right way in finding a working pairing for the morning program — testing the potential anchors over some time.
Unfortunately, he will not be there to see that vision realized, as CNN is now searching for a new boss.
This new boss, who will have their work cut out for them, will want to put their stamp on the network when it comes to programming, but a lot of that will be building on top of what Licht had started to implement.
Should CNN start to see a turnaround ratings-wise, many within its offices may not want to admit, but much of that credit will be because of Licht’s efforts.
(Los Angeles Times, TVNewser, Vox)
CNN’s Chris Licht Recap:
CNN’s Chris Licht: Cable TV is in trouble. (Semafor)
CNN’s Chris Licht: Timeline of how the CNN editorial call played out after Licht’s departure. (Sara Fischer/Twitter)
CNN’s Chris Licht: How CNN reported his ouster on-air. (Jon Passantino/Twitter)
CNN’s Chris Licht: Who will replace Chris Licht? (Business Insider)
CNN Chris Licht: CNN saw a nearly 40% drop in revenue through the first four months of 2023. (Next TV)
CNN’s Chris Licht: What was his’s fundamental mistake while at CNN? (The Guardian)
CNN’s Chris Licht: What was the real reason he got fired? (NPR)
CNN’s Chris Licht: What was the real reason he got fired? (Politico)
CNN’s Chris Licht: Who else got cut after Licht was let go? (TVNewser)
CNN’s Chris Licht: His and Warner Bros. Discovery's vision did not mesh with the polarized cable-news world. (The Atlantic)
CNN’s Chris Licht: A timeline of Chris Licht’s tenure at the network. (The New York Times)
CNN’s Chris Licht: David Zaslav likes to rework cable networks; CNN didn’t need that. (Variety)
RECAP
Neil Everett Will Be Leaving ESPN
One of ESPN's most recognizable SportsCenter anchors has decided to hang up his, er, microphone. Neil Everett, the one-half of the dynamic anchor duo that also features Stan Verett, announced that he would be leaving the network. No timetable was given for when he will anchor his last show. Still, Everett confirmed that his departure is a result of the downsizing being instituted at ESPN by its parent company Walt Disney Co. Everett has been at ESPN for the past 23 years, initially starting at the network’s headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut, before moving out west to Los Angeles with Verett in 2009 where they have been anchoring the late-night editions of SportsCenter. Verett, in a tweet, called Everett “the best teammate I could imagine.” Adding, “Selfless, caring, generous, and a pro’s pro. He’s moving on now, but we are brothers for life. That’ll never change.” (Front Office Sports, Stan Verrett/Twitter)
Netflix Password Crackdown Leads To Sign-up Surge
Netflix brought the clampdown on password sharing, and it is seeing some initial success with this strategy, according to a report from the research firm Antenna. After alerting customers of the impending move, the streamer averaged more than 70,000 sign-ups between May 25-28. In May, Netflix began notifying customers that password sharing would no longer be an option and saw 100,000 sign-ups in the first two days after the notification went out. Cancelations, which Netflix also anticipated, were also recorded, but exact numbers weren’t provided and were not expected to be as high as those of the sign-up boost. Netflix is offering an “extra member” plan for an additional $7.99 for those who are not part of the household and still want to be associated with the account. (Bloomberg, Variety)
Media Partners Of The PGA Tour Blindsided By PGA/LIV Golf Merger
The golf world was stunned when the PGA Tour announced this past week that it would merge with Saudi-backed LIV Golf. The runaway golf tour’s high prize money put a squeeze on the PGA, which tried to match LIV Golf moneywise but knew it couldn’t sustain it for the long term. The surprise merger shocked the PGA Tour’s media partners, which included ESPN, CBS Sports, and NBC Sports/Golf Channel. These combined sports networks have a $750 million deal per year to broadcast the PGA Tour, which may now need to be reworked since having players from LIV Golf as part of the combined tour will potentially bring in additional viewers and TV sponsors. LIV Golf, which currently airs its tournaments on The CW, said its deal with the broadcast net will not be altered this year, though things could change. (Front Office Sports)
QUICK RECAP
Pat Robertson, the founder of Christian Broadcast Network, has passed away. (CBN)
Former NFL player Matt Cassel is joining NBC Sports’ Big Ten pregame show. (Sports Illustrated)
Melia Patra joins ABC News as executive producer, race, culture & inclusion. (ABC News Public Relations)
Former Turner Sports executive Lesley Wainwright joins PlayOn! Sports. (Atlanta Inno)
ABC News names 2024 presidential election reporters and producers. (ABC News Public Relations)
Emily Wilkins joins CNBC as a congressional reporter. (Talking Biz News)
ABC News announces new leadership roles in its Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and London bureaus. (ABC News Public Relations)
Raj Shah, a senior Fox Corp executive, is no longer with the company. (CNN’s Reliable Sources newsletter)
Reggie Bush will likely leave Fox Sports and be replaced by Mark Ingram. (New York Post)
ESPN's Jay Williams says his contract expires in three months. (Awful Announcing)
Chris Chelio’s contract won’t be renewed by ESPN. (Front Office Sports)
Nightly News: NBC News’ Nightly News with Lester Holt receives a new logo and graphics package. (Variety)
Nightly News: NBC News celebrates the program’s 75th anniversary. (TVNewser)
Nightly News: What is NBC News’ Lester Holt’s advice to young journalists? (The Hollywood Reporter)
Tucker Carlson: He breached his Fox News contract with his Twitter show. (Axios)
Tucker Carlson: Will the claims that Fox News leaked the Tucker Tapes be retracted? (Mediaite)
BBC News’ Focus on Africa relaunches with its first broadcasts from its Nairobi, Kenya studios. (BBC Media Centre)
CNN sued over the unauthorized use of music. (Law.com)
Fox Sports reveals its FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 broadcasting teams. (Fox Sports Press Pass)
NBC Sports Chairman Pete Bevacqua to become new athletics director at Notre Dame. (Notre Dame)
TNT impresses with its pregame NHL show. (Chicago Sun-Times)
Inside the NFL moves to The CW. (NFL Films/Twitter)
Fox News is keeping Jeanine Pirro away from conservative events. (Semafor)
Netflix shareholders overwhelmingly reject executive pay packages. (The Hollywood Reporter)
How the transition from linear TV to digital TV went awry. (Vulture)
CNN's John King signs off from Inside Politics. (CNNPR/Twitter)
CBS News’ CBS Broadcasting Center in New York City could be for sale. (Newscast Studio)
MSNBC's Rachel Maddow is launching her third podcast later this month. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Former President Donald Trump to be interviewed by Fox News’ Bret Baier. (The Hill)
ESPN's Mike Breen reaches a historic NBA Finals milestone. (Awful Announcing)
NBC News reporters and New York Times reporters have their press credentials revoked in Ukraine. (Semafor)
LeSean McCoy is a favorite to replace Shannon Sharpe on Fox Sports’ First Take. (Front Office Sports)
What is the future for Black-owned media? (NPR)
BBC News staffers’ personal information exposed in an online hack. (Katie Prescott/Twitter)
Showtime pulled a Vice Ron DeSantis episode with no explanation. (The Hollywood Reporter)
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A MarkHenry Media LLC publication - Issue #123 - 2023