CNN CEO Mark Thompson insisted on Wednesday that he’s committed to the network despite a looming ownership change that has employees concerned for their future.
Netflix dropped its bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery last month after the company announced Paramount’s latest bid to buy all of its assets, including CNN, was “superior.” The sale to Paramount would put media mogul David Ellison — who has a close relationship with President Donald Trump and has angered liberals for installing Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News — in charge of CNN. As a result, CNN staffers have been on edge about what the future holds for the struggling network, but Thompson suggested he plans to stick around to find out.
“I’m really committed to CNN,” Thompson said in a Zoom meeting with international staffers, a network insider told Fox News Digital.
“I’m in the middle of something exciting and interesting with all of you,” he continued. “And I’d like to continue it.”
The Status newsletter, which first reported Thompson’s comments, added that “several anchors and on-air journalists hammered him with questions about ensuring editorial independence under incoming Paramount ownership.”
A CNN insider recently told Fox News Digital that staffers feel “a mix of despair, apprehension and curiosity” as the sale to Paramount looms.
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“Look, I think this is a place that has gone through a lot. A lot of mergers in the past decade. A lot of ‘fresh’ starts,” the CNN insider said.
“I think there is an underlying fear of mixing two news divisions,” they continued. “Who is gonna get canned?”
CNN has struggled in the ratings department in recent years, and Ellison has shown, with significant changes to CBS, that he isn’t afraid of shaking up a legacy organization. CNN staffers famously turned on former CEO Chris Licht when he tried to tamp down CNN’s partisanship that marked the Jeff Zucker era. Thompson replaced Licht in 2023.
While Thompson said he is committed to CNN, it’s unclear if Paramount feels the same way about the current network boss. Paramount did not immediately respond when asked for comment.
Thompson previously attempted to subdue concerns last month with an encouraging memo to CNN employees.
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“Despite all the speculation you’ve read during this process, I’d suggest that you don’t jump to conclusions about the future until we know more. And secondly, let’s not forget our duty to our audience,” Thompson wrote in the memo obtained by Fox News Digital.
“We’re still near the start of what is already an incredibly newsy year at home and abroad, one that will culminate with critical U.S. midterm elections and who knows what else,” he continued. “Let’s continue to focus on delivering the best possible journalism to the millions of people who rely on us all around the world.”
Fox News Digital’s Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
