Mark Thompson, the former chief executive officer of The New York Times Co., is set to take up the top job at CNN, according to several reports.
Media industry veteran Thompson will be announced as the next chairman and CEO of the news network as early as Wednesday, according to reports from Semafor and Puck. He’ll be succeeding Chris Licht, who stepped down from the role in June after a brief and tumultuous tenure at the company.
Read more: CNN CEO Chris Licht Steps Down After Tumultuous Tenure
CNN parent Warner Bros. Discovery Inc.’s chief David Zaslav, who had hand-picked Licht a year ago for the top spot, faces pressure to reverse the network’s fortunes as its ratings have been in prolonged decline. CNN has fallen to third place in the cable news ratings, behind Fox News and MSNBC.
A CNN spokesperson declined to comment.
Thompson, who earlier served as director general of the BBC, was not on the immediate shortlist of candidates rumored to succeed Licht, but he has extensive experience in the news industry and his tenure at the New York Times was marked by substantial investment in its digital products, which have paid off in the years since.
(Updates with response from CNN in fourth paragraph.)
