CNN Worldwide chairman and CEO Mark Thompson told staffers Wednesday that he wants to remain at the network after Paramount completes its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, while acknowledging that his future rests with CNN’s incoming owner.
Thompson said he remained “fully committed to CNN” and “enthusiastic” about the network, according to New York Times media reporter Ben Mullin. “I want to stay if Paramount finds me useful,” Thompson said.
The remarks put a spotlight on one of the largest unanswered questions surrounding the $110 billion transaction: who will lead CNN after the network and CBS News come under the same corporate parent. Thompson has sought to reassure employees that CNN’s journalism and digital strategy should remain intact as its incoming owner evaluates the combined company’s leadership, operations and costs.
Thompson also said Paramount has not explained to him how it intends to run CNN. He cautioned employees against assuming that CNN and CBS News would be combined, saying there were “arguments for and against” such a move and that much remained to be worked out.
CNN said the quarterly town hall had been scheduled before the White House lawsuit and the latest Paramount developments.
The meeting came two days after Paramount reached a settlement with 12 state attorneys general, resolving their antitrust challenge and putting the acquisition on track to close. The proposed consent decree still requires court approval, with a hearing scheduled for Thursday.
Paramount CEO David Ellison told employees Monday that the companies expect to complete the transaction in approximately two weeks. Once finalized, the deal would place CNN and CBS News under Ellison’s control at a moment when both newsrooms face intense scrutiny over their political coverage and editorial independence.
The settlement requires Paramount to establish a five-member board charged with protecting CNN and CBS News from influence by the company’s owners and shareholders. But media law experts have questioned whether the panel will possess meaningful authority, particularly because Paramount’s directors will choose all five members and the agreement does not require the board’s findings to be made public.
Thompson also addressed President Donald Trump’s decision to bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House grounds. He called the dispute a fight for journalists’ and citizens’ “fundamental rights” and said CNN was acting on behalf of the public. Thompson said Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav called to say the company needed to fight the ban and asked what CNN needed from him.
The three organizations sued the Trump administration Monday, arguing that the president retaliated against them for constitutionally protected coverage he dislikes. Their complaint alleges that the ban violates the First Amendment and that the White House revoked reporters’ credentials without notice or due process.
CNN’s removal also disrupted the TV pool that provides presidential footage to news organizations nationwide. ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC declined to replace CNN in the rotation and suspended their normal pool participation in solidarity with the banned outlets.
Thompson, a former chief executive of The New York Times and director-general of the BBC, was named CNN’s chairman and CEO in August 2023 and formally started that October. He has since overseen CNN’s expansion into paid digital products and streaming as the traditional cable business continues to decline.
CNN declined to comment on the substance of the internal meeting.
