(They later married. Licht, whose appointment may be announced by Discovery Inc . Your jobs have meaning. After having a brain aneurysm in 2010 when he was still under 40, Mr. Licht wrote a book about what he learned from the experience, while still describing himself as a killer TV producer with no urge to surrender my spot in the fast lane, even after the near-fatal incident. CNN CEO Chris Licht said the "vitriol" aimed at him over changes at the network has been "stunning." In an interview with The NYT, Licht said he wanted CNN journalists to be seen as "truth tellers . Theres Always a Risk With Him of Being Trolled: A Donald Trump 2024 Bid Will Test If the Medias Learned Anything Since 2016, As news outlets turn toward Mar-a-Lago this week for a very big announcement, journalists talked to, Republicans Are Terrified Trump Will Win the GOP Nomination and Lose to Biden. During the O.J. Who is Rick Karle? When it comes to creating and producing content for networks, cable, and streaming services, Licht has experience in news, scripted, non-scripted, talk shows, and live programming. The fact is that the wall between objective news and liberal opinion has completely collapsed at CNN and cant be rebuilt unless Licht fires Don Lemon and company, which, up to this point, Licht has shown no willingness to do. Copyright 2022 NPR. Chris Licht Political Views Licht appears to be taking a neutral stand in matters of politics. Whether by design or happenstance, he believed CNN had tacked left, a pale version of MSNBC that nonetheless alienated wide parts of the American electorate with a focus on politics and the president at the time, Mr. Trump. But Licht is also not filling out for viewers of CNN, or particularly for the staff at CNN, exactly what his moves are representing at the moment. All rights reserved. CNN has long claimed to be the most trusted name in news but its recent history has seen the rolling US cable news channel court controversy with a shift to the left as the rise of Donald Trump roiled American politics. [11], He joined CBS in 2011 and was named vice president of programming at CBS News. And nothing about that has changed. The network boss camped out in mid-July. And the names being brought on board further suggest a less outwardly political direction for the network. [23] Licht has expressed a desire to change negative perceptions of CNN among Republicans. He is well known as the husband of actress Porsha Williams. And he had also been at CBS News, and before that, MSNBC. She reports on the Nasdaq, semiconductors, ESG, and precious metals, and her work can be found on CNBCs digital platforms and on television. Licht graduated with a bachelors degree in broadcast journalism and political science from Syracuse Universitys S.I. She has covered the Mexican presidential elections in 2006 from Mexico City and reported live, Read More Anita Vogel (Fox News) Bio, Net Worth, Husband, Age, Height and SalaryContinue. After watching CNN, Mr. Licht said he hoped people would take what theyve heard to the dinner table and have a discussion., Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Warner Bros. But rather than stand by Stelter and his work shining a spotlight on the dangerous propaganda being pushed by Republican politicians and conservative media, Licht reportedly wants the network to. We will put things in perspective. By announcing the need for more layoffs on Oct. 26, he said he hoped to engage in a transparent process that would leave everyone feeling theyd been heard. "I think anyone who doesnt see that, or argues with that, is just wrong. The next two years will be yet another test as to whether cable news has learned anything since 2016. In a statement to all workers that he delivered on his first day as CNNs chairman and CEO, Licht lamented that unfortunately, too many people have lost faith in the news industry.. But at its peak, CNN digital generated only about 10 percent of the networks profits, Mr. Licht confirmed. But whatever changes Licht makes, it wont fool the GOP base who rightly see the network as a permanent annex of the Democratic Party. At their first meeting, Mr. Zaslav argued that running CNN would be a great opportunity to build the No. . Cable news depends heavily on cable providers; as much as 60% of CNNs $1.8bn in revenue last year came from the carriers. And for more on that, we have NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik. Asked about his efforts to make CNN less partisan, Mr. Licht gave this analogy: Suppose its raining outside. And in recent days, CNN's new leader has made moves that he says will return the cable channel closer to its news-driven roots. [20] Licht began dating her while they both were on assignment at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and they married in April 2006 at the L'Auberge Del Mar, in Del Mar, California.[1]. Chris Licht, who has been late-night host Stephen Colbert's top producer since 2016, was appointed the new chairman and CEO of CNN. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Fox and MSNBC were advocacy networks, as Mr. Zaslav put it, a proven business model appealing to like-minded viewers but of scant, if any, value as a public service. Mr. Licht seemed to have TV news in his DNA. Mr. Zaslav had stressed that he didnt care at least not much about CNNs current ratings, revenue or profitability. Licht is 51 years old. A CNN open to treating the GOP fairly would have to moderate that coverage. CNN is one example of a bigger battle thats going to come to a head in the coverage of the midterms and immediately after.. JOHN HARWOOD: Now, that's something that's not easy for us as journalists to say. A contract ensued. He helped to interview Osama bin Laden in the late '90s, but has been focused on counterterrorism in recent years and has been the source of some criticism from Muslim groups for that. If the numbers turn, then theyll have to make a decision.. Why it matters: Ratings are secondary to credibility, in the view of Warner Bros. But prior to then he had a distinguished career in journalism, working as a correspondent for CBS News and an anchor for ABC News, where he famously landed a rare interview with Osama Bin Laden in 1998. Weve been friends for 15 years, Mr. Zaslav said. Is your family ready for this? He killed the show "Reliable Sources." If anything, he wants to really focus more on news than opinion. Not So Much. The former president has been politically weakened, with reports of former Trump allies looking to Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, and other Republican hopefuls to take the reins. You work for me.. As a child, hed created a fictional TV news network, WBC, and produced his own newscast using a VCR camera in his basement in Newtown, Conn. Mr. Licht moved to CBS in 2010, where hed scored another early morning success. Read More Rick Karle WVTM 13 Bio, Age, Height, Net Worth, Family, Wife, WBRC, Anchor, SalaryContinue, Who is Anita Vogel? CreditVincent Tullo for The New York Times. He is also known for having launched Morning Joe on MSNBC, and the reboot of CBS This Morning. (Since then, the show has gained slightly among total viewers.). Still, it is a measure of CNNs flailing ratings that Licht even feels the need to undertake the charade of GOP outreach. Prior to Morning Joe, Licht worked as an executive producer and senior producer for Joe Scarboroughs MSNBC show Scarborough Country.. ), One-hundred percent. Its an innovation, the outlet said, that comes from a montage of headlines called the Eye Opener on CBS This Morning. Chris Licht is a well-known American television newsman and producer. Which [Jeff] Zucker regretted, Swisher noted, referring to Lichts predecessor, who famously gave Trump wall-to-wall coveragefrom broadcasting rallies to regularly letting him call in to news programsduring his first bid. It happened to fit where CNN was going and they really embraced it., The success of Lichts reconfiguration, Pekary says, will depend on whether the bills get paid. In 2005, he moved to NBCs sibling network, MSNBC, soon becoming an executive producer for Morning Joe, which he helped develop into an improbable success in its hotly competitive morning time slot. New CNN boss Chris Licht reportedly nudged producers to avoid describing former President Donald Trumps claims that the 2020 election was stolen as the big lie a move that comes as top brass drive a shift toward neutral news coverage. The Republican Donor Class Seems Ready to Dump Trump. As a reporter and producer, he covered a mass shooting in San Bernardino, the plane crash that killed John F. Kennedy Jr., two presidential campaigns and three Olympics. But the episode encapsulated, I think, the tension between the CNN that's been and the CNN that's evolving. In an internal memo last month, Licht urged employees to be advocates for truth and stated that too many people have lost trust in the news media. He continued: I think we can be a beacon in regaining that trust by being an organization that exemplifies the best characteristics in journalism: fearlessly speaking truth to power, challenging the status quo, questioning group-think, and educating viewers and readers with straightforward facts and insightful commentary, while always being respectful of differing viewpoints., Vanity Fairs 2023 Hollywood Issue Welcomes You to the After-Party of Our Dreams, Inside the New Rights Next Frontier:The American West, The Strange, Sexually Charged Genesis of Gloria Swansons Legendary Memoir, The One Thingthe Royal Family Never Travels Without: Blood, NetflixsMurdaugh Murders Team Say Theyve Uncovered New Crimes, Trumps Relationship With Jared and Ivanka Is About to Get a Lot More Awkward, The Cringey Sexcapades of a Horny Billionaire, What Is Cinema? All rights reserved. In May, Licht circulated a memo to staffers declaring that too many people have lost trust in news media and declaring that CNN staffers would be advocates for the truth in the future. During Tuesdays call, Licht also announced another high-profile hire from CBS News, telling staff that Dr. Tara Narula would be joining as a medical correspondent for the network. He came to WVTM from WBEC where he worked as the sports anchor at 6, 9, and 10 pm. During that conversation, Mr. Zaslav warned Mr. Licht that hed be closely scrutinized and judged harshly. His first major act was to kill the networks fledgling streaming service, CNN+, and fire 400 or so people working on it. Similarly, the outspoken progressive anchor Don Lemon broke with orthodoxy by asking plainly if Joe Biden, turning 80 in November, had the stamina, physically and mentally, to continue on even after 2024. FOLKENFLIK: Sure. [8], Licht began his career at KNBC in Los Angeles around the time of the O.J. The tension between them seemed to enhance their audience appeal. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Some at CNN felt Mr. Zucker had been unfairly sacrificed and remained staunchly loyal to their former boss. February 22, 2023 | 7:11pm. By Dimitrios Kambouris/Warner Bros. Discovery/Getty Images. If so, it would appear that he is the wrong man to do it. CNN via YouTube. CHANG: That is NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik. Licht appears to be taking a neutral stand in matters of politics. Its great., CNN would be lucky to get you, Mr. Colbert continued. Joe Biden, the vice president at the time and a fellow aneurysm survivor, cold-called a highly regarded neurosurgeon to take care of him. But for Mr. Licht, nothing less than democracy itself was at stake. Photo by Sean Zanni via Getty Dylan Byers May 11, 2022 Licht says, no, no. He lifted ratings at the perennial also-ran CBS This Morning on the strength of the programs three hosts, Charlie Rose, Gayle King and Norah ODonnell, and an emphasis on news and in-depth interviews, rather than the lighter fare format of its competitors Today and Good Morning America.. "[22] One such method involves limiting CNN's use of the term "breaking news" to stories that have a significant importance. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Exclusive: Inside the S--tshow That Was the Trump-Biden Transition. If Lichts idea of mending fences with the GOP is putting Jonah Goldberg on the air more, he is clearly not serious. CNN was plenty biased back then, but at least hosts like Bernard Shaw made some effort to feign neutrality. CHANG: OK. During the 2016 electionand even afterZucker was often dismissive of critics who said CNN, more than its cable rivals, gave Trump outsized attention. Rather, it was an attempt to explore controversial issues from varied perspectives not to tell people what to think, as he put it, but how to think, or what he called a blueprint for how to make decisions.. He also worked with local NBC affiliates in LA and San Francisco markets. He was named Zuckers replacement on February 26, 2022, following the surprise resignation of CNN President Jeff Zucker in February 2022. Ad Choices. Mr. Lichts growth strategy is focused on CNN.com, which attracts more than 200 million unique visitors each month, according to CNN. Is Mass Immigration Killing Two-Party Democracy in the U.S.? Under its newly installed chief executive Chris Licht, channel is seeking to go back to a more nuts-and-bolts approach to journalism. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Launched Morning Joe on MSNBC, and before that, we have NPR media David. 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