We've discussed the ownership change at CNN and the fact that it was announced that they'd be altering things to get CNN towards its original purpose of being a news agency.
Then, David Zaslav, the Warner Bros. Discovery chief, who will take over the company that includes CNN as well as a range of other networks for entertainment, is voicing his plans. He spoke with Oprah Winfrey this past week and discussed the changes forthcoming, and also criticized “advocacy networks.”
The CEO informed Winfrey that CNN must be focused on the truth, and not just reporting. “If we get that, we can have a civilized society,” he stated. “And without it, if it all becomes advocacy, we don't have a civilized society.” [….]
Before that, the billionaire media mogul John Malone — a close associate of Zaslav –and a member of the board of the company that merged, has criticized CNN for its biased reporting.
“I would like to see CNN evolve back to the kind of journalism that it started with, and actually have journalists, which would be unique and refreshing,” Malone stated in an interview with CNBC in November. “I do believe good journalism could have a role in this future portfolio that Discovery-TimeWarner's going to represent.”
In Zucker's new administration, Chris Licht, an executive producer who worked at “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” as well as “MSNBC's “Morning Joe,”” CNN is expected to undergo a revamp that will include more news that is hard and less opinion-based programming, sources have told The Post.
They are not just moving back to where they came from, which is difficult news and a huge blow to the company, but Zaslav announced that staff reductions will be in the pipeline to reduce redundancies as well as dead weight.
As we previously reported, one of those people who is believed to be headed for the cutting list would be Brian Stelter. There is definitely an array of people out there who are in need of a rebuke in a big way. The launch of CNN+ seeming to have failed with barely any viewers, and has Chris Wallace throwing tantrums, one must think about whether it could be changed or cut.
As per FOX's Charlie Gasparino:
The people who have known him say that with Zucker gone, Zas has no allegiance to CNN+ or its people. If subscriptions don't expand, he'll merge it with an alternative streaming platform, Discovery+, and cut off a portion of the staff that Zucker has recruited.
To save money and cut costs, he'll likely scale down some of the goals in programming, and concentrate on other areas that comprise WarnerMedia.
sSreaming is not saving CNN.
This could mean that, if he was moved somewhere, Chris Wallace could be in the news in the event that CNN+ continues to tank. It's difficult to imagine who would have thought it was beneficial to charge subscribers for something people already aren't happy with when it is offered to people at no cost. If Stelter and Wallace are found guilty in this mess it's impossible to not smile and think it's a good decision for the world.
