CNN CEO Holds Town Hall As Paramount Skydance Merger Approaches

Jeff Bottari / Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC The boss of CNN has admitted he has no idea about a key MAGA ally’s plans for the network after a controversial takeover goes through.

CEO Mark Thompson, 69, addressed staff on a Zoom call, days after Paramount Skydance struck a deal with state attorneys general that removed the last legal obstacle to its merger with CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros.

Discovery.

Status reported Thompson telling employees on Wednesday: “I’m afraid this is one of those occasions where… you’ll find the answers are slightly scarcer than the questions.

“But I’ll tell you what I can.” David Ellison, 43, son of MAGA tech billionaire Larry Ellison, is the CEO of Paramount Skydance.

The company formed after a controversial merger between Ellison’s interests and the CBS parent company last year, which has since resulted in an explosive conservative overhaul at that network.

Thompson’s call with CNN staffers ran for roughly 90 minutes and included a 25-minute Q&A as employees pressed him and other executives over the fate of the network’s leadership and editorial independence.

The CEO suggested he does not know whether Paramount-Skydance even wants him to remain in charge.

“How Paramount Skydance wants to run news is not something known to me,” he said.

“I want to be involved if I can be useful.

If I’m thought to be useful by my new bosses, and certain things I believe in can be supported by them, we can go forward on that basis.” Status had earlier reported that David Ellison had not contacted Thompson after the announcement of Monday’s settlement with the state attorneys general.

Thompson nevertheless applauded Ellison’s handling of the suit, which argued the proposed merger violated antitrust law by significantly reducing competition in the entertainment industry.

“It is worth saying, hats off,” he said, calling “the speed with which this has been achieved [is] an astonishing achievement.” He sounded similarly upbeat about a planned five-person panel overseeing editorial standards across both newsrooms.

Staffers remain deeply anxious.