CNN CEO Chris Licht Takes Aim at ‘Vitriol’ From Left Amid Effort to Make Network Less Partisan

People walk by the world headquarters for the Cable News Network (CNN) in Atlanta on March 15, 2022. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

CNN CEO Chris Licht has taken aim at the “vitriol” directed at him from liberals over changes that have been made at the network since he took over earlier this year, calling it “stunning.”

Licht took over CNN in May after President Jeff Zucker abruptly resigned in February following an investigation into former anchor Chris Cuomo’s alleged protection of his brother, then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

In an interview with The New York Times published on Dec. 18, Licht addressed the criticism he has received after attempts to make CNN less partisan, including shaking up the network’s morning lineup by moving host Don Lemon, an outspoken critic of former President Trump, out of a primetime slot and into “CNN This Morning” alongside Kaitlyn Collins and Poppy Harlow.

Licht has also laid off staff and shut down the company’s expensive streaming service CNN+ amid disappointing subscriber numbers and letting go of network personalities including Brian Stelter, Chris Cillizza, Jeffrey Toobin, and John Harwood.

He later announced the departure of Michael Bass, the executive vice president of programming at the news network.

“The uninformed vitriol, especially from the left, has been stunning,” Licht told the NY Times. “Which proves my point: so much of what passes for news is name-calling, half-truths, and desperation.”

“This wasn’t to plot a new course but to assure people we would not let up one inch in being truth-tellers,” he said.

An advertisement for CNN+ is displayed in Manhattan in New York on April 21, 2022. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

‘This Is Not Vanilla, Centrist, or Boring’

CNN’s revenue and profits have significantly declined this year, and are projected to come in at around $700 million to $750 million, according to the Financial Times. That is in part owing to the high costs associated with the now-scrapped CNN+streaming service.

Meanwhile, the network’s ratings have plummeted in 2022 compared to 2021, according to data and analytics firm Nielson, although it saw significant audience gains in November driven by its live coverage of the midterm elections.

Addressing his decision regarding Lemon working alongside Collins and Harlow, Licht explained: “They obviously like each other. The chemistry is great. I love the collaboration. Every day, it evolves. It’s not like me giving orders. It’s so much fun.”

The CNN CEO’s comments appeared to reiterate those he made to the Financial Times in late November when he told the publication: “One of the biggest misconceptions about my vision is that I want to be vanilla, that I want to be centrist. That is [expletive].”

Licht told the NY Times that he has no interest in drumming up controversy at the network but instead wants CNN to offer viewers “rational conversation about polarizing issues” which includes issues such as school shootings.

While he noted that no one would wish for a school shooting to take place, Licht noted that “we have to understand the culture of people who like guns,” and that “this is not vanilla, centrist, or boring.”

Licht’s latest comments come after he earlier this month informed staff members at CNN that more layoffs would be coming amid uncertainty regarding the global economy.

In a memo to employees, Licht said the layoffs are “incredibly hard” and described them as a “gut punch.” The CEO stressed that all employees who are eligible to receive a bonus will still receive this year’s bonuses.

The decision comes as a growing number of media outlets are firing staff and implementing a number of cost-cutting measures amid fears of a recession in the not-too-distant future.