Mark Thompson takes over as CEO of CNN

Former chief executive of The New York Times and former director general of the BBC, Mark Thompson, will be the next chief executive of CNN at one of the most crucial moments in its 43-year history.

David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, parent of CNN, has acknowledged that “there is no more experienced, respected or capable executive in the news business today than Mark, and we are delighted to have him join our team and lead CNN Worldwide into the future.”

Thompson, who will officially begin on October 9 as CEO, and will act as editor-in-chief of the network, said for his part that “I could not be more excited for the opportunity to join CNN after years of watching and competing with it.” with a mixture of admiration and envy.”

“The world needs trustworthy, accurate news now more than ever, and we have never had more ways to meet that need at home and abroad. Where others see disruption, I see opportunity. “I look forward to rolling up my sleeves and getting to work with my new colleagues to build a successful future for CNN,” says Thompson.

Thompson will try to translate the experience acquired at The New York Time into his migration to a digital model of business, a process similar to that which linear television is now experiencing. The manager recognizes that “we face pressure from all directions: structural, political, cultural, you name it. There is no magic wand that I or anyone else can wave to make this disturbance go away. But what I can say is that where others see a threat, I see an opportunity, especially given the great CNN brand and the strength of its journalism.”

Compounding the challenges, Thompson will face the tough task of running a global news company with 4,000 employees which has suffered several seismic shocks in the last 20 months. During that trial period, its president Jeff Zucker was unexpectedly removed; the CNN+ streaming service was abruptly shut down; star hosts Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon were fired; Several programming changes were made, including the relaunch of its flagship morning show and prime time; and there were massive layoffs.

Mark Thompson, whose roots go back to television, has had a notable career at The New York Times, strengthening its digital business with the acquisition of The Wirecutter, launching NYT Cooking and turning the newspaper into an audio destination with the launch of programs like the podcast The Daily. These moves marked a series of major successes for the company that bolstered online readership and increased The New York Times' presence far beyond its print publication. When he was named editor of The New York Times in 2012, the newspaper had fewer than a million digital subscribers. By the end of his eight-year tenure, he had more than five million digital subscriptions.

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