The media universe is still buzzing over the announced firing of CNN boss and proposed revolutionary Chris Licht. Charged by the channel's new ownership with restoring the news network to respectability – if not greatness – he was facing a monumental challenge. In one way, you could look at it as an NFL coach coming in to turn around a squad with a 2-15 record, with any modicum of improvement seen as a success. Or, it could be the case of it being a team that had so many issues plaguing all aspects of the franchise leading to perpetual failings.
It is clear the latter example is in play, and by now, Warner Bros. Discovery has to know it has a severe challenge in front of them. Licht had plans to see the network refocus on pure journalism and shift somewhat toward a political center, but he met resistance on numerous levels.
Some in the viewing audience opposed the move, suggesting that merely drifting toward a middle ground was turning CNN into Fox News. But there was also journalistic resistance. Many inside and outside carped about this effort, with commentary that giving voice to both sides and seeking to be equal was not sound. To even make this interpretation itself was a sign of severe bias. Automatically declaring those on the right as "liars" and denying that any on the left also traffic in falsehoods is amusing obliviousness.
This is not meant to overlook there were problems from the CEO; Licht was not without his issues worthy of criticism. Despite being in place for over a year, he did not get the primetime schedule anything close to settled. He never replaced Chris Cuomo's vacated 9:00 pm slot. Jake Tapper was tried and quickly moved back to days, then he pulled Don Lemon out of nights, further throwing things into flux. Others were tried out with middling results, and no firm solution was established.
Lemon was another issue entirely. Licht's big signature move was revamping the morning show and that was a complete disaster. Lemon proved either bitter about what he may have perceived as a demotion or he was operating as an entitled diva – and probably both were in play. It became clear quickly that the lineup of Lemon, Poppy Harlow, and Kaitlan Collins was not a good mix, at all.
Lemon acted up, then had to be disciplined at one point, and ultimately he bickered his way into getting fired. Then Collins was prepped to take a primetime slot, and the show that was already bleeding in the ratings had become stripped down and largely unwatchable.
The real revelation of the Licht problems comes from the comments leaking from within CNN. Just ahead of Licht's removal, former CNN fixture Brian Stelter wrote about the environment inside, with dozens of contacts lending impressions. The conflicts and contradictions are significant. Broadly, some complained Licht was attempting to shift the focus of the network away from its standard approach, but at the same time, others complained Licht was not around enough, and they felt unguided. On one specific example, Stelter disputes a Licht claim that CNN overhyped Covid, but he also states, "I was on CNN's air almost every day back then."
Most point to an epic profile on Licht's tenure penned by Tim Alberta of The Atlantic that sealed Licht's fate. That June 2 article release – a 15,000-word takedown – detailed so much of what Licht faced, feared, and fumbled in his brief tenure. While blame is mostly on Licht and his actions (or inaction), focus needs to be placed on the culture he walked into. Alberta's article, and others that have followed, expose a deeply flawed prevailing mindset inside CNN.
One takeaway from the Stelter piece is not just how resistant to change many at CNN had been, but that many feel there is no need to fix something. This is patently delusional. The network has been hemorrhaging viewers since the 2020 election with no sign of recovery. Among just cable news shows, the best-rated shows on CNN struggle to crack the Top 30, even following Fox News shrinking with the removal of Tucker Carlson.
Cable News Rankings Tue May 30
— RoadMN 📈 (@RoadMN) June 5, 2023
1⃣@TheFive @DanaPerino @JesseBWatters @GregGutfeld @JudgeJeanine @HaroldFordJr
2⃣@JessePrimetime
3⃣@SeanHannity
4⃣@MikeEmanuelFox*
5⃣@GutfeldFox!
6⃣@Lawrence
7⃣@Johnny_Joey*
8⃣@AlexWagner
9⃣@ChrisLHayes
🔟@KayleighMcEnany* pic.twitter.com/aArPs6dEct
Another revelation to emerge was a New York Times report that showed many major players inside CNN are still turning to deposed leader Jeff Zucker for therapy and guidance. Says Benjamin Mullin: Zucker is "now serving as a kind of grievance switchboard for current and former employees of the news network." That Zucker was working to sabotage Licht and possibly pave a pathway for a return is not speculation. Mullin alludes to this very plan: Could Jeff Zucker Fix CNN? He Seems to Think So.
What's clear is many inside CNN lack objectivity – both in their presentation of the news and in surveying basic operations. They preferred the Zucker era, where they were encouraged to run with their bias and attack Trump, Republicans, and conservatives, as well as pushing select narratives. What they miss is that CNN had begun its spiral well before Licht's arrival. Things were not working under Zucker, despite their preference to deliver their version of the news.
This leads to a conclusion of another failure by Licht: Despite some high-profile firings, he did not do enough to purge the network of Zucker devotees. Their refusal to affect changes, move the on-air content to more evenhanded coverage, and continue turning to their deposed boss for guidance scuttled Licht's agenda of recovery. Amazingly this mindset ignores not just the ratings results but something found inside CNN as well.
Max Tani of Semafor found out about an internal study CNN conducted last year to see where CNN had been losing trust with viewers. It showed that the overall network approach was the primary cause, as well as issues that emerged during the Zucker regime:
According to a partial copy of the report, which hasn’t been revealed before, CNN’s coverage of Covid-19 was the third leading cause of distrust in the network behind liberal bias and 'the Chris Cuomo situation.'
Zucker's pipe dream of a triumphant return to his former network has to be seen as dead in the water. His failed track record and numerous journalistic scandals strewed across the landscape would be sufficient to disregard even entertaining the idea. Then, recently, a new issue emerged showing that while in power, Zucker attempted to leverage Governor Andrew Cuomo to open movie theaters during the pandemic in order to benefit parent company Warner Brothers.
It is clear Chris Licht faced significant challenges coming into this venture. He needed to cull the cancerous mentality inside the network, and the fact that so many still rely on the scandalous Zucker shows just how entrenched this faulty mindset is at CNN. It will only metastasize until the new Warner Bros. Discovery executives fully remove this tumorous thinking.