CNN CEO Apologizes to Staffers After Damaging Reports Surface: ‘I Am Sorry’

📺CNN’s CEO Chris Licht recently apologized to staffers for distracting the 📰Establishment media from their work, according to sources with access to the content of a network staff meeting Monday.

Former 📺CNN personality Brian Stelter offered a number of quotes from the meeting on Twitter, and while some might wonder how the former employee might have had access to that material, a report from Variety, the self-styled “most authoritative and trusted source of entertainment business news.”

The meeting was an attempt by the embattled CEO at damage control after an unflattering profile of Licht appeared in The Atlantic on Friday.

Variety reported that Licht would be moving his office closer to his 📰Journalism staff, similar to his predecessor, Jeff Zucker, who resigned after an affair with 📺CNN Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Allison Gollust came to light.

According to the profile in the Atlantic, Licht, after 15 months in his current role, still feels as if he’s competing with the popular Zucker, who encouraged some personalities to express more emotion during their broadcasts. Licht has encouraged a decidedly more straightforward approach.

In addition to Stelter, Don Lemon lost his role at the network under Licht’s leadership after he was unable or unwilling to conform to 📺CNN’s new direction.

📺CNNcontinues to founder, however, as audiences have seemed to prefer commentary-oriented broadcasts like those of Fox News or MSNBC over straight news.

“News executives regularly acknowledge that straight news, presented without some sort of argument or conflict, has a difficult time gaining new audiences in the current climate,” Variety reported.

The outlet was also blunt about the results Licht has obtained so far: “📺CNN’s ratings have cratered.”

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.