PSKY Plans To Retain CNN's CEO, Bari Weiss Remains At CBS News

David Ellison plans to keep Mark Thompson as CNN’s chief executive for at least another year, a sign that the Paramount chief intends few immediate changes at the network as his company’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery nears completion, according to two people familiar with the talks.

Under the arrangement taking shape, Bari Weiss would remain in her current role running CBS News and is not expected to take on editorial or operational oversight of CNN for now, those people said. The talks are ongoing and not finalized, and it remains possible that Ellison and Thompson do not reach a deal. Weiss retains the support of the Ellison family, and her role could eventually change, according to media repiorts,.

The plan would leave Thompson with the independent authority he has long insisted on, without interference from other executives. If it holds, it is likely to ease concerns among critics and some CNN journalists who feared Ellison would quickly remake the network or put it under Weiss, a contrarian critic of mainstream media whose tenure at CBS News has drawn controversy. Former “60 Minutes” correspondents have accused her of trying to influence the program politically; CBS News has denied that.

Paramount’s acquisition will place CBS News and CNN, the streaming services HBO and Paramount+, and the Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures studios under one corporate umbrella. The deal is scheduled to close next week after a legal battle delayed it for several months.

CNN is on track to earn $650 million in profit this year, a key revenue source for the combined company, which will carry about $80 billion in debt.