CNN Staffers Remain Grim About Prospects

CNN staffers remain anxious despite a delay in Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, which would place the network under David Ellison’s control.

A CNN insider told Fox News Digital that colleagues view the merger as “inevitable.” The delay “hardly lifted spirits” at the struggling network, which has endured multiple leadership changes. “No change in morale,” the insider said. “Keep in mind the current situation is grim, so people see it as a matter of bad or worse.”

Some staffers worry about the network’s direction under Ellison; others fear for their jobs. A second longtime CNN employee expressed fatigue with the speculation: “I think most people just want whatever done, done. I’ve been through multiple CEOs. I’ve seen very little change based on who is at the very top.”

Paramount is seeking to build a major media empire through the deal. The European Union and the U.S. Justice Department have approved it. The remaining obstacle is an antitrust lawsuit led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta. Last week a federal judge issued a Temporary Restraining Order blocking the companies from closing the deal until at least Aug. 17. 

Paramount then agreed to postpone the transaction until next year so the lawsuit can proceed.

CNN has seen frequent leadership turnover in recent years. Jeff Zucker led the network from 2013 until early 2022, reshaping it into a more adversarial stance toward President Donald Trump. After Zucker’s departure over an undisclosed workplace romance, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav named Chris Licht as successor. Licht, a veteran of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” “CBS This Morning,” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” aimed to reduce the network’s left-leaning tilt but struggled to gain staff trust amid loyalty to Zucker.