Uncertainty Grips CNN Newsroom as Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery Merger Hits Another Delay

By Maine News Now Staff

CNN employees are bracing for what many inside the company consider an unavoidable corporate reshuffling, even after a federal judge temporarily blocked the $111 billion merger that would place the cable news network under the ownership of David Ellison's Paramount.

A spokesperson for CNN declined to comment for this story.

According to a CNN staffer who spoke about the merger delay, morale inside the network has not improved. "No change in morale," the insider said. "Keep in mind the current situation is grim, so people see it as a matter of bad or worse." That person added that virtually every colleague they have spoken with views the merger as "inevitable."

A second CNN insider, a longtime employee, said the constant churn of leadership speculation has become exhausting. "I think most people just want whatever done, done," they said. "I've been through multiple CEOs. I've seen very little change based on who is at the very top."

That sentiment reflects a turbulent period for the network, which has cycled through several high-profile leaders in recent years. Jeff Zucker ran CNN from 2013 until early 2022, when he departed over an undisclosed workplace relationship with a colleague. He was succeeded by Chris Licht, a veteran television producer who had worked on "Morning Joe," "CBS This Morning" and "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."

Licht's tenure, which began in 2022, was marked by a stated effort to pull back from the network's more progressive programming posture. He struggled to win over employees loyal to Zucker, and the situation escalated after he hosted a 2023 town hall with President Donald Trump. The event drew public rebukes from CNN personalities including Christiane Amanpour, then-media reporter Oliver Darcy and an emotional Anderson Cooper, who told viewers he understood if they stopped watching. Licht was later fired.

Mark Thompson, the former head of The New York Times and the BBC, took over as CNN's chief executive after Licht's ouster and has so far avoided the same level of internal backlash. But ratings softness, an uncertain digital strategy and persistent takeover talk have kept anxiety levels elevated. "I think, for most, things haven't been the same since Jeff Zucker left," the second CNN insider said.

The Deal and the Delay

Ellison's Paramount is pursuing a media acquisition of historic scale, aiming to absorb Warner Bros. Discovery in a transaction valued at $111 billion. Both the European Union and the U.S. Department of Justice have cleared the deal. The remaining obstacle is an antitrust lawsuit filed by California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

Last week, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order preventing the companies from closing the transaction before August 17. Paramount subsequently agreed to push back the merger's completion until 2027 to allow the lawsuit to proceed in court. In a statement, the company said: "This merger is lawful, pro-competitive, and will benefit consumers, creators, workers, and the entertainment industry. We will continue to vigorously defend the transaction and will look forward to the hearings on the substance of the State AGs' action."

Concerns About What Comes Next

Should the merger close, speculation has focused on whether Bari Weiss, the editor-in-chief Ellison installed at CBS News after his earlier acquisition of that network, would be given an oversight role at CNN. The New York Times reported that Ellison and his deputies are weighing whether to put Weiss in charge of CNN, potentially paired with a more experienced television executive to handle operational and financial matters.

Thompson, according to reporting, has told colleagues he will not share oversight of CNN with another executive, a stance that has placed his own future at the network in question.

Weiss's tenure at CBS News has been contentious. Critics have accused her and Ellison of attempting to reposition the network's coverage in ways designed to curry favor with the Trump administration, a charge both have denied. Ellison has publicly pledged that CNN will retain its editorial independence under new ownership.

For some CNN figures, the prospect of working under Weiss is unacceptable. Veteran anchor Anderson Cooper, who also served as a correspondent at CBS's "60 Minutes" until earlier this year, has told colleagues he does not want to work for her, according to the Times. CNN contributor Kara Swisher has said she will leave the company if Ellison takes over, describing his "handpicked minions" as "incompetent."

Chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward, one of the network's most prominent journalists, passed on a long-term contract and instead extended her deal for only one year so she could "evaluate the post-merger landscape and whether Weiss is given editorial oversight over CNN," according to the news outlet Status. Several of Ward's colleagues have expressed similar reservations, Status reported.

The Times also noted that longtime CNN executive Amy Entelis's office has effectively become a counseling space for on-air talent processing the changes ahead. "Something of a psychiatrist's couch for anchors and correspondents, who often drop in to air their anxieties about the looming changes," the paper wrote.

What Lies Ahead

If Ellison ultimately prevails in court and assumes control of CNN, he could install Weiss in a role that picks up where Licht's efforts left off, attempting to recalibrate a network that has struggled with both identity and ratings in the post-Zucker era. Whether the CNN workforce will cooperate with a new editorial structure remains an open question.

For now, the newsroom is in a holding pattern: the deal is delayed, the courtroom fight is just beginning, and the people inside CNN are waiting, with a mixture of dread and resignation, to see what comes next.