Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav has insisted flailing CNN is ‘making real progress’ in winning back viewers by including more Republican voices on its shows.
Last month the network welcomed more than 70 GOP members to its programs, Zaslav claimed as he addressed the disappointing earnings at the media giant on Thursday.
However the CEO conspicuously failed to mention the ongoing turmoil around ‘CNN This Morning’ which saw anchor Don Lemon taken off-air this week over ‘sexist remarks’ in which he claimed politician Nikki Haley wasn’t ‘in her prime.’
Instead he championed the network’s refreshed image and ‘balanced strategy,’ after a year of sweeping changes brought in by him and CNN president Chris Licht.
‘We are already seeing a more inclusive range of voices and viewpoints,’ Zaslav told analysts Thursday, reports the New York Post.
CEO David Zaslav insisted CNN was moving in the ‘right direction’ after interviewing more than 70 GOP candidates last month
The Warner Bros Discovery CEO conspicuously made no reference to the network’s beleaguered morning show which saw host Don Lemon, center, plunged in controversy this week over ‘sexist’ remarks
Lemon has also clashed several times with White House Correspondent Kaitlan Colins, left, live on air, with the pair repeatedly talking over each other
‘As demonstrated last month, when over 70 Republicans came on our air during their congressional speaker election process, a first in a very long time, and we intend to continue advancing on this balanced strategy.
‘We must get it right. Nowhere is this more important, in my view, and it isn’t going to happen overnight, and I believe we are on the right path,’ he added.
His comments appear to be a dig at former boss Jeff Zucker who was repeatedly accused of making the network too critical of then-President Trump.
Tensions between Trump’s government and Zucker’s CNN reached boiling point when one of its correspondents Jim Acosta was barred from the White House after a confrontation with the President.
Zucker previously said he was not ‘anti-Trump’ but ‘pro-Truth’.
It prompted ratings to tank, with the network losing 90 percent of its viewers between January 2021 and 2022.
Shortly afterwards Zucker was replaced with Chris Licht in February 2022.
Since then the network CNN has undergone a dramatic overhaul which included firing longtime anchor Brina Stelter.
Zaslav publicly backed Licht’s direction on Thursday, adding: ‘The team are focused on building an asset for the long term across cable and digital that is worthy of that great global brand.’
Zaslav’s latest remarks could be seen as a dig at former network president Jeff Zucker who came under fire for criticizing Trump so heavily during his presidency. He was replaced by Chris Licht in February last year
CNN has undergone a dramatic overhaul in the last 12 months with HBO’s ‘Real Time with Bill Maher’ added to its primetime lineup on Friday nights
It comes after CNN recently added a segment from HBO’s ‘Real Time with Bill Maher’ to its primetime lineup on Friday nights.
NBA legend Charles Barkley is said to have also been approached about a potential hosting gig.
However much of this progress has been overshadowed by CNN’s beleaguered revamp of its morning show which has failed to resonate with viewers.
Meanwhile anchor Don Lemon was said to have been upset after discovering his name would not be included on the show after bosses cut his prime-time program.
The 56-year-old has also been accused of berating colleague Kaitlan Collins, 30, for reportedly interrupting him on air.
The incident resulted in a bust-up between the pair, with Lemon ‘screaming’ at Collins on December 8, which resulted in her running from the set in tears.
After that, he was reportedly told to take a day to ‘cool off’ by boss Chris Licht but instead blew up on staffers after a company newsletter featured a story about his altercation with the White House Correspondent.
He faced even more sour headlines this week after making a litany of ‘sexist’ remarks in which he claimed GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley ‘isn’t in her prime.’
He took a three-day absence from the show and is now said to be undergoing ‘formal training’ as a result of the controversy. He also apologized on Twitter.
The program saw a 5 percent bump in viewership during his absence, the New York Post reports.
NBA legend Charles Barkley, pictured, is said to have been approached about a potential hosting gig at the network
Lemon was was forced to undergo ‘formal training’ after making sexist comments about 2024 presidential hopeful Nikki Haley, 51, being past her prime
Zaslav’s comments came as Warner Bros. Discovery reported that its streaming subscriptions grew just 1.1 million last quarter, less than Wall Street expected.
That was despite a slate of hot HBO Max debuts including House of the Dragon and season two of The White Lotus.
For the quarter that ended in December, WBD’s streaming unit, which includes HBO Max and Discovery+, reported an operating loss of $217 million on $2.45 billion in revenue, down from losses of $728 million a year ago.
Overall, the company missed expectations on the top and bottom lines, reporting revenue of $11 billion and losses of $2.1 billion that were mostly due to ongoing restructuring charges from last year’s merger between Warner Bros. and Discovery.
Warner Bros. Discover stock was down 1.5% in extended trading on Thursday
Zaslav said that after completing 10 months of restructuring, the media company now looks to ‘take full advantage’ of its roster of globally recognized franchises, including Superman, Batman, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.
‘I believe that we have an overwhelming advantage in the marketplace with the IP that we own,’ he said, using the industry’s shorthand for intellectual property.
‘To get that advantage, we have to create great content.’
Warner Bros. Discover stock was down 1.5% in extended trading on Thursday
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