Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has reportedly made up his mind about who will replace Chris Licht as the next chairman of CNN.
Zaslav has been trying to convince former New York Times Company boss Mark Thompson to take the reins at Hudson Yards, according to the news site Puck.
Thompson, whose resume also includes a stint as director-general of the British Broadcasting Corporation, was reported to be a leading candidate to succeed Licht.
Zaslav is “actively trying to recruit Thompson” with “the same singular focus with which he had once pursued Licht,” according to Puck.
A Warner Bros. Discovery spokesperson declined comment.
Meanwhile, Thompson apparently isn’t the only British news executive on Zaslav’s radar.
James Harding, a British journalist who also once headed the BBC, has been in contact with CNN’s corporate parent about the top job at the cable news outlet, according to Semafor.
Harding led BBC News from 2013 until 2017. He went on to found Tortoise, a UK-based digital media outlet.
CNN staffers are reportedly surprised at the speed at which Zaslav has been conducting the search for a successor to Licht, according to Semafor.
It had been anticipated that CNN would continue to be managed on an interim basis by a trio of executives through the US presidential election next year, Semafor reported.
Licht, who was spotted by The Post at a Yankees game in the Bronx last week, was ousted in early June after a magazine profile by The Atlantic portrayed him as thin-skinned, aloof, and insecure about his position — particularly in light of staffers’ continued loyalty to his predecessor, Jeff Zucker.
Zucker resigned as president early last year after it was learned he had been carrying on a years-long relationship with Allison Gollust, a subordinate who headed CNN’s marketing department.
CNN under Licht was beset by poor ratings as well as personnel shakeups and on-air dust-ups involving top talent, including ousted anchor Don Lemon, who was let go after several controversial remarks about women.
The ratings slide has continued since Licht’s departure under the network’s new interim bosses, Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley and Eric Sherling.
CNN lags well behind top dog Fox News and its main rival, MSNBC, whose ratings have surged in recent weeks thanks to its coverage of former President Donald Trump’s accumulating legal troubles.
During the Trump administration, CNN scored consistently high ratings as the president frequently sparred with the network, labeling it “fake news.”
