From: imbibe@mindspring.com   
      
   CNN Enters the Post-Jeff Zucker Era. Bye-Bye ‘Breaking News’ Banners.   
   By Michael M. Grynbaum and John Koblin, June 5, 2022, NY Times   
      
   CNN’s ubiquitous “Breaking News” banner is gone, now reserved    
   for instances of truly urgent events. Snarky on-screen captions    
   — “Angry Trump Turns Briefing Into Propaganda Session,” for    
   instance — are discouraged. Political shows are trying to book    
   more conservative voices, and producers have been urged to ignore    
   Twitter backlash from the far right and the far left.   
      
   A month into his tenure as the new leader of CNN, Chris Licht is    
   starting to leave his mark on the 24-hour news network he inherited    
   in May from its prominent former president, Jeff Zucker. So far,    
   the Licht Doctrine is a change from the Zucker days: less hype,    
   more nuance and a redoubled effort to reach viewers of all stripes.   
      
   Running a network is a new challenge for Licht, a 50-year-old    
   lifelong producer who has never led an organization as big as CNN.    
   (His last employer, “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” had a    
   staff of about 200 people; CNN has roughly 4,000.) Some CNN    
   journalists say they wonder if he can navigate a sprawling,    
   unwieldy global news network past what has been a no good,    
   very bad year.   
      
   In December, the anchor Chris Cuomo was fired for ethical lapses,    
   prompting an investigation that ultimately led to Zucker’s ouster    
   in February over an undisclosed relationship with a co-worker.    
   Then, in April, the network’s new owners, Warner Bros. Discovery,    
   shut down the streaming platform CNN+ weeks after its $300 million    
   debut. On the same day, Licht announced the prospect of hundreds of    
   layoffs in his first formal address to staff.   
      
   Under Zucker, a micromanager who dictated headlines and whispered    
   in anchors’ ears during interviews, the network developed an    
   “Audience of One” culture. “What Jeff Wants” was the mantra, and    
   that often meant spectacle and drama. Licht is now tearing up that    
   playbook with a management style notably different from his predecessor.   
      
   “I’m not here to get into the weeds of day-to-day editorial decision    
   making,” Licht told employees on his first day. His more hands-off    
   approach to coverage, and his sweeping pronouncements that CNN will    
   “challenge the traditional philosophy of cable news,” have left his    
   skeptics wishing for more specific direction from the top, not less.   
      
   Licht’s early moves, and the mood inside the network, were described    
   by several people with knowledge of the internal dynamics at CNN who    
   would speak only on the condition on anonymity.   
      
   Licht is aware of the criticism. “I am going to make decisions    
   slower than some would like,” he wrote in a newsroom-wide memo on    
   Thursday. “I know this organization has been through tremendous    
   change over the last four months, which is why I am approaching    
   this process slowly and thoughtfully as we look at all parts of    
   the operation.” (CNN declined to comment.)   
      
   One early focus has been morning programming, an arena that Licht    
   knows well from overseeing “Morning Joe” and his successful retooling    
   of “CBS This Morning.”   
      
   Licht told advertisers that he wanted to “disrupt” morning TV.    
   Internally, he has said he wants a more inviting, conversational    
   approach, and he believes CNN’s main offering, “New Day” — which    
   Zucker created — lacks a clear identity, three people said.   
      
   In coming weeks, he wants to create a roster of “friends of the    
   show” who would make regular appearances on the program, the people    
   said. Among those being considered is Audie Cornish, the former    
   NPR host who had been slated to host a program on CNN+.   
      
   Licht also wants to revamp the Sunday night lineup, introducing    
   a new talk show from the former Fox News anchor Chris Wallace, as    
   well as a new long-form newsmagazine program.   
      
   Licht is intent on dialing back partisanship on the air, telling    
   advertisers last month, “At a time where extremes are dominating    
   cable news, we will seek to go a different way.” At a recent meeting    
   in Washington with producers and journalists, Licht said he wanted    
   to book more Republicans and conservatives on political shows to    
   offer a wider range of viewpoints. Internally, he praised Dana    
   Bash’s recent interview about gun control with Representative    
   Dan Crenshaw, a Texas Republican.   
      
   In some ways, Licht is working to undo the showman-like tendencies    
   that Zucker, a former “Today” show producer, embedded in CNN’s    
   DNA over his 9-year tenure.   
      
   Zucker placed sportscaster-style microphones on pundits and    
   encouraged political anchors like Jim Acosta to embrace adversarial    
   reporting about Trump, leading to coverage that could seem like    
   advocacy. Oversized groups of partisan guests dialed up the moral    
   dudgeon nightly.   
      
   “It was so loud,” said Peter Hamby, a former CNN correspondent    
   and a columnist at Puck who writes about changes in cable news.    
   “They found a new outrage every single day. It made it difficult    
   for audiences to separate what was really an emergency and what    
   was a ratings ploy.”   
      
   The Zucker approach did have benefits. CNN enjoyed its most    
   profitable and highest-rated years under his tenure, though    
   viewership fell sharply after Trump left office. Many anchors    
   felt deeply loyal to Zucker, who championed his team amid attacks    
   from Trump, death threats and even pipe bombs mailed to CNN’s    
   offices. After Zucker’s exit, the anchor Don Lemon delivered a    
   tearful on-air farewell, saying, “We lost a man who was the    
   backbone, the glue and the spirit of this company.”   
      
   Some CNN producers and journalists became accustomed to awaiting    
   Zucker’s specific instructions. Licht is less inclined to    
   micromanage, an approach that is consistent with his producing    
   philosophy in past jobs. Licht has told associates that he prefers    
   empowering deputies to make decisions for themselves, even if    
   mistakes can sometimes occur.   
      
   On-air journalism is just one aspect of Licht’s new role; he    
   also has to make sure the network makes money. With ratings down    
   across cable, Mr. Licht has told colleagues that strengthening    
   CNN’s reputation as a fair-minded news outfit will help attract    
   blue chip advertisers.   
      
   With little experience on the corporate side of running a network,    
      
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