CNN CEO Chris Licht Says ‘The Quick Sugar High Of Ratings And Outrage’ Damaged The CNN Brand

CNN Chairman and CEO Chris Licht believes CNN damaged its brand as “the most trusted name in news” during the Trump era. “The brand is the most trusted brand in the world when it comes to journalism, right up there with the BBC,” Licht told CNBC. “I think what happened a little bit here in the past was it’s easy to take the quick sugar high of ratings and outrage.”

Licht was named CNN boss in the wake of Jeff Zucker’s sudden resignation for failing to reveal a consensual relationship with a colleague. Zucker’s exit, which came just weeks after the firing of CNN’s highest-rated prime time host Chris Cuomo, left the network in turmoil. Months later, Licht arrived and immediately pulled the plug on CNN’s heavily-promoted streaming service, CNN+.

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That sense of uncertainty is pervasive at the network today, with longtime CNN employees wary of further changes and the ever-looming threat of job cuts. CNN’s ratings have collapsed, and The New York Times reported that “projections from S&P Global Market Intelligence say CNN’s profitability is on a pace to decline to $956.8 million dollars this year”—which would be the first time in six years to fall below $1 billion.

—and a wariness among employees of job cuts and changes— remains at the network today especially with CNN’s profit set to drop below $1 billion for the first time since 2016. Licht is said to be leading to a push inside the network to “right size” CNN. CNBC reports that more than 1,000 people will be laid off by Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s parent company.

CNN’s prime time lineup remains a work in progress, and the recently-launched CNN Tonight with Jake Tapper has yet to find a footing in the ratings race with MSNBC and Fox News Channel. Tapper’s move to prime time followed Don Lemon’s departure at 10 p.m. ET for a yet-to-debut morning show, a shift that CNN observers interpreted as a sign the network wanted less opinion-driven shows in prime, and more straight news.

Licht says anchors like Tapper have not been told to steer the network’s coverage toward the center, with CNBC reporting Licht “does want viewpoints from both sides of the political divide to appear on CNN. But he won’t stand for guests who push disinformation.”