CNN chief Chris Licht names his management team
The new boss’s team at CNN looks a lot like the one under the old boss.
According to a memo sent to staff Wednesday that was obtained by the Times, CNN Chairman Chris Licht is keeping the top managers who toiled under his predecessor Jeff Zucker.
Licht took over the job in February following Zucker’s firing by then-parent company AT&T after the firm learned of a relationship the executive had with his top aide, Allison Gollust. Licht was the choice of David Zaslav, chief executive of Warner Bros. Discovery, which took ownership of CNN and the rest of the WarnerMedia properties in April.
Licht is retaining Michael Bass as executive vice president of programming. He largely served as the network’s second in command under Zucker.
“He is loyal to the brand and its mission, and is an exceptional leader and fantastic journalist,” Licht said in the memo. “He will continue to lead the 9 a.m. editorial call and will oversee programming for the CNN US networks.”
Amy Entelis is also staying on in her role as executive vice president for talent relations and content development. Entelis, who joined the network from ABC News, is responsible for the development of CNN’s original films and series, giving the network a source of programs that can draw audiences in slower news periods.
Licht is elevating Virginia Moseley, a longtime steward of CNN’s Washington bureau, to executive vice president for editorial for the network’s U.S. operation. She will move to New York.
Longtime CNN veteran Ken Jautz remains in his role as executive vice president of news, where he deals with operations and production. He will also continue to oversee CNN’s sister channel HLN.
Licht also named Chris Marlin as group executive vice president of strategy and business operations. Marlin is a longtime friend of Licht’s who showed up at the network after the management change.
Licht will take over the news organization in May after Discovery completes its acquisition of CNN parent WarnerMedia.
According to the memo, Marlin will be charged with finding “new revenue and optimizations across the business.” Marlin came to CNN after serving as founder and president of Lennar International, a global real estate company and homebuilder.
Licht also announced that Johnita Due is the new executive vice president of integrity and inclusion. Calvin Sims, who served as executive vice president of standards and practices, is exiting as part of the restructuring.
Separately, CNN named Kris Coratti Kelly as its new head of global communications. Kelly joins CNN from the Washington Post, where she was chief communications officer and general manager of Washington Post Live, the newspaper company’s video unit.
Licht is a veteran news producer who joined CNN from CBS , where he oversaw “Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” He has moved slowly since taking over the job and has yet to make any moves regarding on-air talent.
Licht needs to find a new host for prime time, as Chris Cuomo was fired from the network in December after it was revealed he was not forthcoming about advising his brother Andrew, the former New York governor, during his sexual harassment scandal.
Licht has publicly expressed a desire to revamp CNN’s morning program, which has lagged behind the competition in the ratings. Licht oversaw the creation of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and “CBS This Morning.”
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