As CNN Worldwide prepares to fall under new ownership, CEO Mark Thompson is reportedly making the case that the network’s editorial and digital strategy should remain intact.
According to a report published Thursday morning by New York magazine, Thompson has privately urged Skydance CEO David Ellison and other high-level executives to preserve CNN’s current editorial direction and long-term digital strategy, contending that the network is now gaining momentum after several months of restructuring.
Citing people familiar with the discussions, New York magazine reported that Thompson argued CNN’s credibility is its greatest asset and cautioned incoming leadership against “messing” with the network, warning that changing the current editorial identity could undermine the progress made under his tenure.
Thompson has also reportedly acknowledged increasing uncertainty inside CNN about the ownership change, as staffers await the transition. During a recent town hall, he apparently told staff he could “feel the tension in the room,” referring to the imminent merger as the “generously proportioned elephant in the room,” according to New York magazine.
The report also states that Thompson, CNN chief operating officer Alex MacCallum and chief financial officer Adam Cohn recently met with Ellison and other Paramount executives to outline CNN’s business strategy, including its push toward a subscription-driven digital future.
Among the issues that have fueled anxiety inside the network, per the report, is uncertainty over how much influence new ownership could exert over CNN’s editorial direction. New York magazine reported that Thompson has resisted any sort of arrangement that would reduce his editorial oversight, amid internal speculation over what role non-CNN advisers or executives could play after the WBD-Paramount Skydance merger.
These reports come as the media industry continues to closely watch the Paramount-WBD transaction, which is expected to transform one of the country’s largest news and entertainment companies. While much of the public discourse has focused on BREAKING NEWS and Paramount’s broader TV assets, especially its news division, CNN staffers have also been bracing for potential changes under the new ownership regime.
A CNN spokesperson declined to comment on the New York magazine report when reached by TheWrap.