As Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery nears completion, CNN is bracing for what the merger will mean for the media company.
Warner Bros. It is the parent company of CNN, meaning the news property will be a major part of the acquisition alongside other assets including HBO and Warner Bros. Television. Film studio and more. This left CNN employees uncertain about the company’s future under the transformation implemented by David Ellison at CBS News.
After Paramount Global’s $8 billion Skydance deal closed last summer, Ellison named Bari Weiss editor-in-chief of CBS News, which led to several shifts. Recently, Weiss sparked a major overhaul of 60 minuteswhich saw Nick Bilton appointed the show’s new executive producer, and the termination of executive producer Tanya Simone while several reporters and producers were also fired.
Scott Pelley was the most vocal among those terminated 60 minuteswhere he was fired after a fiery meeting with Belton, in which he claimed that Weiss was “killing”. 60 minutes. She doesn’t like this place; She was brought in to kill her and she does just that. He also told Belton that he had “little qualifications” for the position and indicated that he was not welcome at the leading news magazine.
Ellison has not revealed any plans for CNN, although he has publicly stated that “editorial independence will certainly be maintained” amid the merger. However, according to New York Timesthe network’s newsroom feared that Ellison would assign Weiss some sort of oversight of CNN.
Two people talked to times He said Ellison and his deputies are considering whether Weiss will take over CNN. the times It also reported that two people briefed on internal discussions said Ellison had considered a “husband.”[ing] Ms. Weiss with a more experienced television executive who could handle the technical and financial aspects of the network.
Hollywood Reporter She reached out to Vice’s representatives for comment, but did not hear back by press time.
Mark Thompson is CNN’s current editor-in-chief, and the outlet also reported that he has not heard from Ellison or his team about what his role will look like after the merger. Thompson declined to share the comment with timesBut two sources said he told Paramount officials that he would not share oversight of CNN with another executive.
Ellison’s closeness to President Donald Trump also alarmed CNN reporters and staff. Trump has been a critic of the network over the years, and said in a tribute to Ted Turner, who founded CNN and died on May 6, that he hoped its “new buyers,” the Ellison family, could restore it to its former credibility and glory.
In April, Ellison held an event at the US Institute of Peace on Thursday in honor of Donald Trump, before the Justice Department approved Paramount’s deal to acquire Warner Bros.
Anonymous journalists told CBS News the times They were “surprised” by the dinner, concerned that it might send a message of “affection” between the newsroom and the Trump administration.
