David Zaslav confronted a dilemma. Analysis confirmed him that a number of CNN personalities had given his not too long ago acquired information community too far a leftward bend. But appearing on that information and axing a few of these figures may stain the tenure of Chris Licht, CNN’s newly employed CEO, in its infancy.
So to guard a kind of key personalities, Licht did what anybody would do with a controversial star: He moved Don Lemon to mornings. That lasted 5 months earlier than Lemon was proven the door—at Zaslav’s behest.
A brand new New York Occasions profile of Zaslav’s dealing with of CNN for practically two years shed new mild on how the Warner Bros. Discovery CEO navigated the community’s usually tumultuous relationship with Lemon, a CNN stalwart identified for his fiery opinions and who lengthy appeared throughout the community’s programming, together with in primetime and New 12 months’s Eve. What was as soon as a social, pleasant relationship between the 2 masked, in keeping with the Occasions, a want by Zaslav to see Lemon faraway from the air.
Upon buying the community, and with the forthcoming merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery, Zaslav felt CNN had taken an excessive amount of of an overtly partisan tilt in opposition to former President Donald Trump, the Occasions additional reported. That tone was largely set by CNN’s then-CEO Jeff Zucker, who defended the community’s anti-Trump focus in a fall 2021 golf outing with Zaslav and others, the Occasions revealed.
Zucker’s opinion on the community finally wouldn’t matter lengthy, as an inside probe of his workplace romance along with his high lieutenant led to his firing simply earlier than Zaslav assumed management.
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That also left Zaslav with numerous CNN figures who, analysis confirmed, personified CNN’s partisan tenor. These included Lemon and Dependable Sources host Brian Stelter, in keeping with the Occasions.
Stelter was fired in August final yr, however Licht tried to maintain Lemon within the fold, shifting him to mornings to assist him hold his job. That transfer proved unpopular with Lemon, the Occasions story notes, however he accepted the shift with the understanding that Zaslav continued to have his again. The 2 had been associates for greater than a decade, in keeping with the Occasions, and texted about Licht’s waning fame amongst CNN staffers.
Zaslav’s obvious frustration with Lemon himself didn’t appear to register. After Lemon mentioned on-air that former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley was not “in her prime” to run for president—and subsequently sparked a near-revolt inside CNN—Zaslav questioned Licht on why Lemon nonetheless had a job.
“Why hasn’t he been fired?” Zaslav requested, in keeping with the Occasions. The Warner Bros. Discovery CEO additionally promised shareholders that Lemon could be passed by Memorial Day, the Occasions added. Lemon was finally fired on April 24—the identical day Fox Information shockingly axed host Tucker Carlson.
However Zaslav tried to fix their relationship after the pink-slipping, the Occasions reported, telling Lemon over breakfast within the Higher West Facet that he was sorry for the way the anchor was handled at CNN.
It was Chris Licht’s fault Lemon was fired, Zaslav reportedly instructed the previous CNN star. Licht was canned in June.
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