Ellison retains Thompson as CNN chief, unveils Skydance leadership team
Ellison retains Thompson as CNN chief, unveils Skydance leadership team
By Anzar Mehraj and Harshita Mary Varghese Mon, October 5, 2026 at 6:05 PM UTC
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By Anzar Mehraj and Harshita Mary Varghese
Oct 5 (Reuters) - CNN CEO Mark Thompson will continue in his leadership roles at the news network under David Ellison-led Skydance, the company that will come into effect on Tuesday following the $110 billion merger of Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery.
His counterpart at CBS News, Bari Weiss, will also keep her role and both will report to CEO Ellison and newly appointed co-CEO Ynon Kreiz, Paramount said on Monday.
The separate reporting structure allays concerns that Weiss, who took over as CBS News editor-in-chief in 2025, would have greater control over all of Skydance's news operations.
Her tenure has involved significant changes, including layoffs, the closure of CBS News Radio and a shake-up at "60 Minutes" that saw several veteran journalists leave the program.
Ellison and Thompson had held talks in recent weeks about a new contract that would keep the chairman and editor-in-chief of CNN in those roles but had not settled on the terms, Reuters reported last week, citing a source.
On Monday, Thompson told CNN staff he will lead "with the same responsibilities and prerogatives" that he has so far, but the specifics on how CNN will operate within the new company is yet to be finalized, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters.
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Thompson said in the note he had "real confidence" that the new leadership would "fully support the principle and practice of the kind of independent news that CNN has always stood for".
Although longer-term changes are still open questions, "the move sends a strong message to the staff and to the public that CNN's legacy, brand and commitment to covering the news remains its mission", said Frank Sesno, professor at George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs.
Ellison had agreed to set up an editorial independence board to oversee CNN and CBS News as part of a settlement with a coalition of 12 U.S. states and a Hollywood writers' union. But journalists and media experts are skeptical about the five-member board over how much authority it will have in practice.
The members will be appointed and paid by Skydance, but the settlement does not explicitly give the board investigative powers and leaves unclear whether its decisions will be binding.
The latest appointments come as both companies face pressure on their traditional television businesses, with audiences and advertising shifting from linear networks to streaming.
Other senior appointments included Paramount operations chief Andy Gordon as president of Skydance, while finance chief Dennis Cinelli will continue in the role.
HBO head Casey Bloys will become chief content officer at Skydance's direct-to-consumer business, while George Cheeks will co-lead Skydance's newly formed television division.
(Reporting by Anzar Mehraj and Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid and Arun Koyyur)
Source: “AOL Money”
