Paramount is still looking for help for Bari Weiss, if anyone is interested

If Paramount’s merger with Warner Bros. Discovery is approved, Weiss would potentially end up with control over not just CBS News but CNN. However, whoever ends up with this business executive job won’t have any greater control over the editorial or creative process than Weiss has, which has reportedly been a sticking point in at least a couple of the candidates Paramount has already interviewed for the position. Weiss herself has been part of these discussions, which we’re sure makes them extra productive. 

Axios also reported on the news this morning, and shared specific names that Paramount is eyeing for the position. NBCUniversal News Group chairman Cesar Conde, former NBC News president Noah Oppenheim, and CNN Worldwide CEO Mark Thompson are among the candidates, along with Daily Beast CEO and former ABC News president Ben Sherwood, and former CBS News president and current Sky News executive chairman David Rhodes. Slightly complicating matters is the fact that, due to the merger approval process, Paramount is not allowed to talk to any WBD executives, which certainly makes potentially nabbing Thompson more difficult. But, again, despite the recognition that she needs more help and the near-constant bad press, Weiss’ position is not reported to be in any kind of danger. A source told Axios, “The Paramount brass loves Bari Weiss. She has the full confidence of David Ellison, who believes Bari has done a fantastic job as editor-in-chief.”