'That's not happening': Insiders' Bari Weiss-CNN speculation fizzles as merger closes
CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss will not take on an expanded role – at least for now – as Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount combine into one of the world's largest media companies.
CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter broke down the new leadership lineup set to take effect Tuesday, and the combined company will be called Skydance, with CNN CEO Mark Thompson remaining as chairman and editor-in-chief of the network. Weiss will remain in charge of CBS News, and the two news divisions will not be combined for now.
"Many insiders had wondered if Weiss would be given a role at CNN as well," Stelter said, "and that's not happening for the time being."
The announcement ends months of uncertainty that began when Paramount won the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery in February. Questions about CNN's future have hung over the deal because of the Ellison family's ties to the Trump administration.
Stelter pointed to "Paramount's close, cozy ties with the Trump administration," and he noted that patriarch Larry Ellison has a "close relationship as a donor to the president" and that CEO David Ellison has made efforts "to cozy up to the Trump administration to win these merger deals."
In a memo to staff, Thompson sought to reassure the newsroom.
"I have real confidence that they both understand and will fully support the principle and the practice of the kind of independent news that CNN has always stood for," Thompson wrote.
Thompson also said Skydance leadership, "from CEO David Ellison on down," sees news as "a top strategic opportunity" for the new company.
Stelter said the moves show the new owners are "valuing stability over any possible shakeup." HBO chief Casey Bloys is also staying in his role.
The new company will carry a heavy debt load and face "severe pressure to cut costs," Stelter said. It will also rely on cash from profitable channels like CNN to pay that debt down.
"The company has good reason to avoid disrupting the network," he said.
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