CNN boss Chris Licht was hitting phones to network anchors “he’d never spoken to before” as he flipped in the new seat after a rattling magazine profile questioned his leadership, The Post came upon.
Licht, realizing his reign could possibly be cut short after only a yr, has engaged in a significant damage control that features appointing the network’s top talent whose rankings are being questioned, multiple sources told The Post on Tuesday.
“He’s calling anchors who’ve never spoken to him before,” the source said. “He has to win the peace, but [Atlantic] piece shortened its time window to accomplish that”.
The countdown is on at CNN as David Zaslav, CEO of parent network Warner Bros Discovery, will pull the trigger to release his puppet after installing Lieutenant David Leavy as CNN’s COO last week, sources say.
Some speculate that the hammer will fall around July 4 – to bury the news over the vacation weekend – while others imagine Licht has a number of months to turn things around.
![Chris Licht](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000011242749-2.jpg?w=1024)
“It is a coin toss,” the source said, noting that nobody aside from Zaslav really knows Licht’s fate. “One thing’s needless to say, CNN needs to start scheduling coverage of the presidential election.”
Sources say that there has already been talk internally about who will replace Licht.
These include Amy Entelis, CNN’s vice chairman of talent and content development, and Virginia Moseley, CNN’s vice chairman of editorial work for network operations in the US.
Jeff Zucker’s acolyte Moseley is a tricky executive who “tires” her subordinates but is “great” at what she does, the source said.
Entelis, alternatively, is “much softer” and customarily liked by the privates, one other insider said.
![Amy Entelis](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000012279953.jpg?w=1024)
![Virginia Moseley](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000012279952.jpg?w=1024)
“Any internal promotion can be like navigating deckchairs on the Titanic,” one source said, noting that CNN still has to reverse its disastrous rankings, which fell 25% during prime time in May compared to last yr.
Others imagine Zaslav could keep Licht and put him in charge of editorial operations while Leavy is actually his boss running the business, but such a demotion may not suit Licht – or CNN staff, according to sources.
CNN declined to comment.
![President and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, David Zaslav](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000010161484.jpg?w=830)
The 15,000-word Atlantic exposition, written by Tim Alberta, portrayed Licht as a skinny, aloof executive who’s isolated from employees who now not trust his leadership.
Despite Licht’s mea culpa on Monday, CNN insiders accused his boss of alienating each supporters and critics, including seasoned presenter Christiane Amanpour, who confronted Licht about his decision to hold a town hall with former President Trump last month.
![Christiane Amanpour](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000011298262.jpg?w=1024)
He also failed to win over loyalists of Zucker’s ousted predecessor, reminiscent of Dana Bash, who remains to be in close contact along with her former boss, according to the source.
Other leading commentators, including Jake Tapper, Erin Burnett and Anderson Cooper, expressed their concern about Licht’s leadership, with some complaining about Leavy, according to sources cited by Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.
CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy criticized Licht in his Monday’s Reliable Sources newsletter, writing “Atlantic exposé”, “severely questioned Licht’s judgment” [and] his ability to lead the staff of the network’.
He added that Licht had “estranged much of the worker base and wasted the goodwill he had when he took the helm of the network”, noting that Licht’s efforts to “reset relations after greater than a yr of his tenure” could also be too little and too late.
![Dana Bash](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000010363896.jpg?w=683)
The reporter noted that Licht’s apology didn’t include discrediting previous CNN journalism, which left staff “frustrated” and “indignant”.
“Many are saddened by the terrible state of affairs that has befallen the organization they love,” Darcy wrote. “Within the eyes of so many individuals at CNN, there may be nothing Licht can do at this point to gain their support. They hit it against the wall.”