David Ellison Asks CNN CEO Mark Thompson to Stay After Merger
Talks are preliminary, and Thompson is seeking editorial autonomy as CNN remains a profit center, filings show.
- Paramount CEO David Ellison has asked CNN CEO Mark Thompson to remain in his role after Paramount completes its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, according to a report Thursday. Talks between the two are in their early stages.
- The $81 billion acquisition is set to close October 6 following a federal judge's approval Wednesday of a settlement with 12 state attorneys general. Paramount must establish a five-member News Editorial Independence Board within 180 days to oversee editorial standards.
- Seeking assurances of editorial autonomy, Thompson is negotiating his future while CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss is not expected to have a role at CNN. Weiss previously oversaw a shake-up of "60 Minutes" during her tenure at CBS.
- "Fully committed to CNN," Thompson told employees during a company meeting, as his current contract runs into next year while he oversees a digital reboot. He added, "I want to stay if Paramount finds me useful."
- Ellison does not plan to name a single news executive to oversee both CNN and CBS News when he announces his organizational structure in coming days. The company will likely keep the two newsrooms apart initially as it navigates the transition.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Paramount's CEO, David Ellison, asked CNN Executive President Mark Thompson to remain in charge of the news network after the acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, said a source familiar with the subject to Reuters on Thursday (1). Both of them held talks in recent weeks about a new contract that would keep Thompson in office, but still did not reach an agreement on the terms, said the source. According to the source, editorial independence is a…
Paramount CEO Ellison asks CNN chief Thompson to stay after Warner Bros deal, source says
Paramount CEO David Ellison is negotiating with CNN CEO Mark Thompson to extend his contract and ensure editorial independence. Discussions have not yet finalized on the terms of Thompson's continued leadership. A new acquisition will merge CNN and CBS News under one ownership structure. Furthermore, Paramount must establish an independent board for maintaining editorial autonomy post-merger.
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