CNN's Chris Licht is out after a year of crisis — these 14 top execs are charged with carrying the network forward while Warner Bros. Discovery searches for its new CEO
Warner Bros. Discovery announced CNN CEO Chris Licht's exit after his rocky tenure damaged ratings and staff morale.
Amy Entelis, David Leavy, Virginia Moseley, and Eric Sherling have been tapped as interim leaders.
These 14 CNN leaders will keep CNN running while WBD CEO David Zaslav looks for Licht's replacement.
CNN boss Chris Licht is exiting the network after a disastrous year, having struggled to win over viewers and staff with his new vision for the news network — as was laid bare in a scathing profile in The Atlantic.
The profile shocked media insiders and had insiders doubting Licht could survive in his role, especially with some journalists outraged by his criticism of their work under his predecessor, Jeff Zucker. CNN's own media reporter, Oliver Darcy, wrote that the CEO had "lost the room."
Top CNN anchors were critical of Licht's leadership, and even Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav's faith in Licht's ability to right the ship was faltering, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, and early this morning the company announced the network chief's exit.
WBD named a team of CNN execs to replace Licht while a search is conducted for his replacement: Seasoned editorial leaders Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley, and Eric Sherling will run news and programming, with David Leavy, who was named chief operating officer last week, on the commercial side.
Leavy, a top WBD exec and Zaslav consigliere, wasn't officially due to start till June 20, but had been already working the phones to connect with staff. While most of the network's leadership team was made up of CNN veterans, some of whom Licht had elevated, his hand-picked hires like Chris Marlin, head of strategy and business operations, will likely exit. Variety reporter Brian Steinberg tweeted that Kristine Coratti Kelly, the global communications chief who joined CNN from the Washington Post in 2022, is said to be leaving, citing two sources familiar.
Licht came in for some serious barbs while trying to move Ted Turner's news network to the political center. In his year on the job, he revamped the look of CNN, shook up the morning lineup, and moved Kaitlan Collins, the network's former White House correspondent, to primetime. Many familiar faces such as Barbara Starr and Ana Cabrera exited.
But ratings continued to flounder, and tensions arose on the morning show set after host Don Lemon said Nikki Haley wasn't a viable presidential candidate because she wasn't "in her prime." The episode was followed by a Variety report alleging Lemon had a history of misogynistic behavior. He was fired soon after.
Here are the top CNN execs, listed alphabetically, who were leading the network's news and operations under Licht and are expected to carry the network forward while WBD searches for his replacement.
This article was originally published at 5 a.m. ET as a list of top executives working under Chris Licht. It has been updated to address the news of his exit and related changes.
Adam Cohn, EVP & Chief Financial Officer, CNN Worldwide
Cohn, who joined CNN in 2008, was named to the top finance position in 2022 after predecessor Neal Chugani left, seven months into the Warner Bros. Discovery merger. Cohn is in charge of the financial underpinning of the huge global CNN business, including CNN International and CNN Digital as well as CNN en Español.
He was formerly the SVP, head of finance for all the streaming operations of the parent company, and was part of the Turner team that in 2010 acquired rights to NCAA March Madness and the NBA. Cohn was previously at JPMorgan.
Johnita P. Due, EVP, Integrity and Inclusion, CNN Worldwide
Before Warner Bros. Discovery came into being, Due, a former First Amendment rights attorney, was chief diversity and inclusion officer at WarnerMedia News and Sports. Her parents were prominent civil rights activists, and Due has worked for greater diversity and inclusion at CNN throughout her 20-year tenure.
Due's job goes beyond making sure CNN prioritizes diverse representation on air, across the newsroom, and in its news coverage; she also looks at potential conflicts of interest and reviews reporting about sensitive topics.
Amy Entelis, EVP, Talent & Content Development, CNN Worldwide
One of the four tapped to lead CNN until Licht's replacement is found, Entelis is a quiet legend in TV and film, ushering CNN original series from "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown" to "Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy," as well as documentary films such as "Julia," about the unlikely '70s star chef Julia Child. CNN Films, which is under her purview, won its first Oscar for best documentary feature earlier this year for its documentary "Navalny," about the Russian dissident.
While CNN made the decision to stop funding original series and films made with outside production partners, it is still making long-form shows internally. At its upfront in May, the company announced new series on topics such as NASA, pop culture, and cold war spying. Entelis also developed and launched in April "The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper," which goes deep on character-driven news narratives.
In the talent lane, Entelis is responsible for developing decades' worth of star journalists and producers at the network over the years including Cooper and Jake Tapper.
Entelis, who has been with CNN since 2012, started out at ABC News as a producer on "World News Tonight" with the late Peter Jennings.
Ramon Escobar, SVP Talent Recruitment & Development, CNN Worldwide
Escobar is in charge of all on- and off-air hires at CNN's TV networks, and he's the guy who's tasked with developing the careers of anchors, correspondents, contributors, and producers. He works closely with colleague Amy Entelis; both had previous stints with Sucherman Consulting Group.
Escobar is based in New York and joined CNN in 2012 from Telemundo.
Sam Feist, SVP & Bureau Chief, CNN Washington
Feist has one of the biggest jobs inside the network — keeping ahead of the always-heavy politics news cycle for CNN and its array of shows including "Inside Politics," now hosted by Dana Bash. Feist's been in the role since 2011 and has covered all the debates, inaugurations, town halls, and special event programming that come with being a key player in the nation's capital.
Feist has spent 32 years at CNN and has been the executive producer of countless political shows. He's a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, The Washington Economic Club, and the Bar of the District of Columbia.
Ken Jautz, EVP, CNN, CNN Worldwide
In the mid-90s, Jautz was busy pushing CNN into lanes such as business and helping launch financial network CNNfn, which later shuttered, and CNN Money. More recently, he has been in charge of HLN and was one of a trio of executives in charge of the network after the departure of CNN CEO Jeff Zucker.
Jautz also oversees business affairs and Newsource for affiliates. He joined Turner Broadcasting, Europe in 1995 as a development executive, and moved to CNN in 2001.
David Leavy, COO, CNN Worldwide
Leavy, who's one of four execs tapped to lead CNN until Licht's replacement is found, wasn't officially meant to start his new role as chief operating officer till June 20. But as one of Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav's kitchen cabinet, he's already been working — according to a New York magazine report by CNN alum Brian Stelter — to smooth over some of the internal concerns stemming from the Trump town hall and other aspects of Licht's leadership.
Leavy will need all the diplomacy skills he honed in Washington, DC, as the onetime deputy press secretary for Foreign Affairs at the Clinton White House. Along with his CNN role, he will continue his public policy and social responsibility duties at WBD.
Mike McCarthy, EVP & General Manager, CNN International
CNN International has a very different flavor from its US counterpart. It's distributed in 350 million homes worldwide, with feeds catering to various parts of the world. In some locales, CNN shows up through franchise agreements with other entities.
McCarthy is responsible for overseeing this global output, which has received multiple prestigious awards for its journalism under his watch. He's been CNN's point person for coverage of events such as the war in Ukraine and King Charles III's coronation.
McCarthy has been with the network for 24 years and is based in Atlanta.
Virginia Moseley, EVP, Editorial, CNN US
Moseley, one of the four tapped to lead CNN until Licht's replacement is found, is in charge of breaking news coverage and domestic newsgathering from bureaus in LA, Denver, Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Miami, and Washington, DC. Elevated to her current role by Licht a year ago, she also oversees CNN's White House, Congressional, and Defense coverage, and more.
Moseley, like so many top news industry executives, cut her teeth in Washington where she was a producer for CBS News. The Harvard grad went on to spend 18 years at ABC News, joining CNN in 2012. She also has close personal ties to DC power — her husband Thomas Nides was executive assistant to then-House Speaker Thomas Foley and went on to become ambassador to Israel in 2021.
Lisa Reeves, SVP Talent Negotiations, CNN Worldwide
Atlanta-based Reeves is in charge of CNN's many talent deals, which can range from the appointment of Kaitlan Collins into CNN's vaunted primetime slot at 9 p.m. to bringing on a former government official or an expert as a contributor.
Reeves works with a host of lawyers and talent agencies to manage staff contracts. She was previously assistant general counsel at Turner Broadcasting.
Ellen Russ, SVP, People and Culture, Warner Bros. Discovery
Russ oversees people and culture responsibilities for CNN from her perch at Warner Bros. Discovery. She has eyes on the company's execution of talent strategy globally, including at CNN US, CNN International, and other outlets like the company's sports divisions and Bleacher Report. She started in the Washington bureau of CNN in HR.
Eric Sherling, EVP, US Programming, CNN Worldwide
Sherling's job is to oversee live programming out of New York, Washington, and Atlanta for US shows across all hours. The CNN veteran won his promotion in May. One of the four execs tapped to lead CNN until Licht's replacement is found, he also manages bookings and special projects and live event programming.
Sherling took over parts the role performed by former CNN CEO Jeff Zucker's longtime EVP US programming, Michael Bass, who left in late 2022. Sherling was at the forefront of creating "CNN News Central," a six-hour block of programming which features anchors such as Kate Bolduan, John Berman, and Sara Sidner.
Athan Stephanopoulos, EVP & Chief Digital Officer, CNN Worldwide
Stephanopoulos joined CNN in October to shake up and refresh its digital offerings around the world. He replaced CNN's previous chief digital officer, Andrew Morse, who left the company.
Stephanopoulos previously was president of Ben Lerer's venture focused on bite-sized video, NowThis, which counted Discovery as an investor before it was sold to Vox Media and later spun off. He worked on all aspects of the business during his eight-year tenure.
He oversees the editorial, business, and technology of CNN Digital, which includes mobile, OTT and SmartTV offerings.
David Vigilante, EVP & General Counsel, CNN and Warner Bros. Discovery Sports
Vigilante is on the front lines of defending CNN's journalism against legal threats. In 2021, he wrote for the network's site about a gag order that had prevented him from speaking about a federal government order seeking emails from then-CNN Pentagon reporter Barbara Starr. Vigilante fought the order until courts narrowed its requirements.
Atlanta-based Vigilante also occasionally contributes to CNN — he picked up the national Edward R. Murrow award for writing in 2013.
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