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'No One Is Happy': CNN Staffers 'Devastated' as Warner Bros. Discovery-Paramount Deal Sparks Panic at Troubled Network

CNN staff fear cost cuts, debt restructuring, and threats to newsroom independence following Paramount's $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, including potential CBS News merger.

  • On Thursday, Paramount struck a $111 billion deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery that includes CNN, a move CNN CEO Mark Thompson said has staff on edge.
  • Repeated ownership changes and follow-on cuts have driven CNN staff anxiety in recent years, with Warner Bros. Discovery selling partly due to heavy debt and cost-cutting pressures.
  • Inside CNN, journalists say they're fearful for the future after the sale was announced, with half a dozen folks describing anxiety about deep cuts, especially if combined with CBS News, while David Ellison, Paramount CEO, installing Bari Weiss at CBS News raises editorial concerns.
  • U.S. federal regulators must approve the deal, and observers note President Trump wants CNN sold while the Ellisons reportedly made concessions to secure regulatory passage.
  • Financials, including a roughly $600 million adjusted EBITDA estimate for 2026, raise questions about cost savings and consolidation as WBD projects CNN revenue of $1.8 billion in 2026 rising to $2.2 billion by 2030, while CBS News posts substantially lower revenue.
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Lean Left

Several U.S. media reported on the anxiety of journalists of the pioneer of continuous news channels about the risk of a takeover by the conglomerate of the Ellison family, close to Donald Trump.

·Paris, France
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NewsBusters broke the news in Washington, United States on Friday, February 27, 2026.
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