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Let’s See Ya Dance …

The performative Trumpism of new CNN boss Chris Licht.
CANNES, FRANCE - JUNE 23: CNN Chairman and CEO Chris Licht in conversation with CNN Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward as part of Warner Bros. Discovery WBD at Cannes Lions 2022 on June 23, 2022 in Canne... CANNES, FRANCE - JUNE 23: CNN Chairman and CEO Chris Licht in conversation with CNN Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward as part of Warner Bros. Discovery WBD at Cannes Lions 2022 on June 23, 2022 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images for Warner Bros. Discovery) MORE LESS
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September 8, 2022 11:16 a.m.
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In this week’s podcast, Kate Riga and I talked about the on-going talent purge at CNN. We’ve discussed this before. CNN is under new Republican management and the top shareholder has announced his intention to make the network less “liberal” and more “centrist.” There are both ideological and business drivers, which I discussed last week. But I want to dig into the mechanics, which seem to be getting short shrift in the media discussion. Two rungs down the ladder from the top corporate boss is CNN boss Chris Licht. The game plan may come from on high (i.e., Trump donor billionaire John Malone) but Licht is the implementer. So far Brian Stelter and John Harwood have been axed and the rumor mill is now fixated on Brianna Keilar, a CNN host deemed “too liberal” or too critical of Trump for the new “centrist” CNN.

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