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now-former network CEO Chris Licht might open the door for Don's CNN resurrection.TMZ said Don and Chris had a long-standing tension. Following Chris' firing, CNN's Executive VP for Talent and Content Development Amy Entelis is now one of the people calling the shots, and she's been close with Don for nearly 15 years. Don's unceremonious spring termination (which came hours after Fox News showed Tucker Carlson the door) was dramatic and acrimonious, as he said he was let go without any notice whatsoever. "I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been terminated by CNN. I am stunned.

King Charles, CNN‘s once-a-week talker featuring Gayle King and Charles Barkley, ended last week with no plans to extend the limited series.

Don Lemon is returning to the media landscape, with a new media company and show on X. Lemon announced the news on X (fka Twitter) Tuesday morning

Athan Stephanopoulos is stepping down as executive vice president and chief digital officer of CNN, as CEO Mark Thompson focuses on a new structure for the network.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Athan Stephanopoulos will leave his role as chief digital officer of CNN as the news outlet’s new chief starts to implement his strategic vision for the Warner Bros. Discovery property. In a memo issued Wednesday, Stephanopoulos said that Mark Thompson, CNN”s new chief, “had his own vision of how he wanted digital operations to be organized.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Martha Stewart didn’t talk to CNN for a new original documentary series the news outlet has produced about her. But she’s still the star of the show. “The Many Lives of Martha Stewart” is a four-part series produced by CNN Studios, a division devoted to longer-form and enterprise programming in the wake of a strategic decision made in 2022 to scale back big ambitions to compete in the documentary arena.

network imposed a ban on drinking alcohol last year.Cooper, host of “Anderson Cooper 360°,” and “Watch What Happens Live” host Cohen, made sure to be on their best behavior when they both downed shots of tequila while on air.The topic surrounding CNN’s alcohol restriction was brought up within minutes after going live from Times Square at 8 p.m., when Cohen, 55, asked Cooper, “Does daddy get his juice?”“Speaking of traditions, it’s the top of the hour. We’ve been here for seven years doing this, and for most of those years, well, at the top of the hour we typically have a toast,” Cohen goes.

Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper rang in 2024 with some boozing on live television — bringing back alcohol consumption to CNN after staying sober for last year’s New Year’s Eve broadcast. “It’s the top of the hour and we’ve been here for seven years doing this, and for most of those years at the top of the hour we typically have a toast,” Cohen said early on in the broadcast, turning to Cooper. “I’m hearing from a lot of people…does Daddy get his juice?” “Can Daddy get his juice responsibly?” Cooper asked, before Cohen pulled out a bottle of tequila and shot glasses, and both imbibed to start the show.

Cohen replaced Kathy Griffin as Cooper’s co-host.)After years — and countless juicy moments — of alcohol-enhanced airtime, former CNN CEO Chris Licht explained in 2022 that on-camera drinking corroded the network’s and their employees’ credibility in the eyes of the public.“New Year’s Eve Live” viewers, however, seemed to care about the lack of liquor: 2023’s programming averaged 2.1 million viewers compared to 3.7 million the year prior.Ahead of 2024, fellow late-night host Stephen Colbert tried to pry the news out of the co-hosts: Will they or won’t they be drinking this year? Cooper replied, “I think you’re going to have to tune in to see.” He later joked that sober Cohen wasn’t “any less embarrassing.”As folks at home await the results of Cohen’s plea to reverse the alcohol ban, take a look back at his and Anderson’s funniest moments on NYE so far. After it began raining on the co-hosts and Cohen properly protected himself, the Times Square Alliance — who provides security and is one of the coordinators of the event — told him to get rid of his umbrella.

CNN‘s debut of King Charles, the new show featuring Gayle King and Charles Barkley, premiered to 510,000 viewers, according to Nielsen fast national early numbers.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav gave former CNN chief Chris Licht a warm endorsement, even hinting at the possibility that the TV news vet could work again with the company.

CNN has set Nov. 29 as the premiere date for King Charles, the primetime limited series hosted by Gayle King and Charles Barkley.

Dr. Frankenstein of Bravo knows what he needs to power up. Andy Cohen has reportedly begged CNN to allow him and Anderson Cooper to drink while hosting the network’s annual New Year’s Eve broadcast on Dec.

CNN‘s new chairman and CEO Mark Thompson officially started in his job leading the network on Monday, telling staffers in an internal video message that the news organization needed to make advancements in digital and that conventional TV “can no longer define us.”

Anderson Cooper believes the storm has passed at CNN.

Kristen Welker’s first broadcast of Meet the Press on Sunday will feature a pre-taped interview with former President Donald Trump.

It is possible that in his search for CNN’s next boss, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav simply checked back through the news network’s archives. 

Mark Thompson, the former CEO of The New York Times Co. and director general of the BBC, is in line to be named the next head of CNN, according to multiple press reports.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Warner Bros. Discovery is widely expected to name Mark Thompson, the former New York Times Co. and BBC leader who has demonstrated a knack for guiding media into digital realms, as the latest executive to oversee CNN, according to a person familiar with the matter, putting in place the fifth executive structure around the news giant since early 2022.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Warner Bros. Discovery is back in the hunt for a new executive to oversee CNN. Mark Thompson, the former CEO of New York Times Co.

Don Lemon made his first extended comments since he was fired from CNN, telling podcast host Kara Swisher that he feels “vindicated” following the exit of CNN leadership after his departure.

CNN unveiled an overhaul of its lineup, with Abby Phillip getting the 10 p.m. ET primetime slot, while Phil Mattingly will co-anchor CNN This Morning with Poppy Harlow and Kasie Hunt will helm Early Start.

CNN announced a series of promotions in its domestic newsgathering division.

Jeff Zucker was breezing through the Faena Hotel in Miami Beach when he spotted David Zaslav across the room. The former CNN chief was there on vacation on March 31, while the current Warner Bros. Discovery CEO was on hand for the Saudi-backed FII Institute’s Global Priority Summit.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor One notable thing about the headlines coming out of CNN in recent weeks is something they don’t include: news about CNN itself. Since the exit of former chief Chris Licht in June after a tenure marked by tumult and unwanted publicity, the gossip mill around the Warner Bros. Discovery-backed news outlet has ceased its once-dependable roar. There are no leaks about what happened at CNN’s morning editorial meeting, or chatter about how current leaders Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley and Eric Sherling talk (or don’t) to the staff. There is even less hubbub about David Leavy, the longtime consigliere who was recently installed to oversee business affairs. and is a longtime consigliere to Warner Bros. Discovery honcho David Zaslav,

Kaitlan Collins will officially launch as the network’s 9 p.m. ET host on Monday with a one-hour program named The Source.

fired from the news network, saying he doesn’t “have to be in a rush” to return to TV.Speaking to ABC’s Memphis affiliate ABC24, Lemon said that he is going to take his time to figure what his future holds and spent the next several months away from the cameras.“I’m not gonna force anything,” Lemon said. “I’m not gonna let other people’s timeline influence me. I know people say, ‘I miss you on television.

began. “Chris made mistakes, right? He made mistakes and as I said, he learned from mistakes. Zaslav decided to fire him or to let him go.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor One of the most influential and alluring jobs in journalism just opened. Now the company trying to fill the position is waiting to see if anyone really wants it. Warner Bros. Discovery is expected to move deliberately rather than quickly in its search for a new CEO for CNN. Executives are telling staffers and TV agents that it will likely take a few months to fill the role that Chris Licht held for one turbulent year. Licht, the TV news veteran and “Late Show With Stephen Colbert” showrunner, was ousted last week after spearheading a series of programming moves and talent decisions that kept headlines about CNN circulating more often than anything else produced by the newsroom. Licht’s final error was taking part in a profile The Atlantic published June 2 — 15,000 words detailing a “Meltdown at CNN.” Numerous statements from Licht in the story and his questionable judgment in allowing a reporter such broad access marked the last straw for his corporate managers as well as CNN insiders. Erin Burnett, Anderson Cooper and Jake Tapper all lodged concerns about Licht’s ability to manage following the profile’s publication, according to a person familiar with the matter, confirming details previously revealed by The Wall Street Journal.

The group of executives who are leading CNN on an interim basis made their first comments to staffers on Thursday, vowing to make “this period as smooth as possible.”

Chris Licht’s ouster as CEO at CNN, Joe Scarborough argued that Warner Bros. Discovery head David Zaslav should have kept Licht on for the full term of his two-year-contract. “Zaslav gave Chris two years; I wish Chris had been given the two years Zaslav promised him,” Scarborough told The New York Times.

Chris Licht has broken his silence following his abrupt departure as CEO and Global Chairman of CNN Wednesday morning, calling his tenure “exciting but incredibly challenging.”“This was an exciting but incredibly challenging assignment, and I learned a lot over the past 13 months,” Licht said in a statement to media. “I’ve been lucky enough to have had a successful, fulfilling career, and I look forward to my next chapter.”Licht’s statement comes hours the former CEO’s ouster was announced by Warner Bros.

The abrupt yet not-all-too-surprising exit of Chris Licht from CNN is a bit of a relief for staffers who thought he was the wrong person for the job, but whoever succeeds him at the cable news network will face many of the same headwinds.

Top leaders of CNN’s PR team that oversaw The Atlantic’s disastrous profile of Chris Licht have been fired, TheWrap has confirmed. EVP and global head of communications and marketing Kris Coratti Kelly and head of strategic communications Matt Dornic were among those ousted.According to a source familiar with the decision, the network began cleaning out its communications team Wednesday, just hours after the embattled CEO exited amid plunging ratings and growing discontent within his news staff. The news comes following Licht’s firing on Wednesday.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Some people only get one chance to run CNN. Amy Entelis is about to embark on her second. The veteran news executive was one of three who took the reins at the Warner Bros. Discovery news outlet when Jeff Zucker, the previous chief, was forced out in February of last year after acknowledging a romantic relationship with Allison Gollust, once CNN’s chief marketing officer. Now Entelis will be part of a new trio leading the news giant after the Wednesday departure of former CEO Chris Licht. The challenges facing CNN have not diminished. Entelis will guide CNN’s news operations along with Virginia Moseley, recently named to oversee editorial operations, and Eric Sherling, recently appointed head of U.S. programming. David Leavy, a longtime Zaslav lieutenant who was named chief operating officer at CNN last week, will oversee business activities. The entire group must keep CNN moving forward as the 2024 presidential election cycle draws near, even as the outlet’s ratings have fallen and its staff has been buffeted by job cuts, programming changes and a seemingly endless cycle of senior executives coming and going.

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV Critic The departure of CNN’s Chris Licht, following his turbulent year atop the cable news network, places a pause on one of the great media stories of the decade so far. But even non-media-junkies can appreciate just how strange and how strenuously rocking had been Licht’s time at the network: It played out across screens. The trouble with being the place that invented the 24-hour news cycle is that those hours can come back to bite when you’re the story. There it was in politics, when Donald Trump’s “Town Hall,” with purported rising star Kaitlan Collins, gear-shifted into the first televised rally of the 2024 presidential cycle — with CNN’s air being used to depict an audience of Trump supporters cheering on his jibes. (No less an eminence than Christiane Amanpour, a CNN icon, registered her dissent in public.) There it was on the business pages, with Licht’s overseeing the dismantling of streaming product CNN+, on orders from Warner Bros. Discovery head David Zaslav, setting the tone for his tenure. There it was at the Oscars, when Michelle Yeoh used her best actress acceptance speech to rebuke anchor Don Lemon’s bizarre on-air comments about a woman’s “prime” years. There it was in the gossip pages, after a Variety story about Lemon’s comportment toward his female co-anchors on the network’s flagship morning show, and then his ouster, leaked into the tabloids, and never seemed to be countered by any good news about the network. And, finally, there it was at length, with an all-access profile by the Atlantic’s Tim Alberta revealing Licht’s contempt for predecessor Jeff Zucker and the depths of his disdain for and, frankly, confusion about CNN’s mission.