CNN's CEO will still be here for a while after Warner Bros./Paramount merger

The merger of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery is days away, and major personnel changes have already happened—but CNN CEO Mark Thompson isn’t going anywhere, according to The Wall Street Journal. With Paramount acquiring CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, questions have been raised about who’ll lead the cable news network and how things will change. But  Thompson is staying put, at least for now. WSJ reported that Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison spoke with Thompson for weeks about maintaining his role, but hasn’t yet drawn up a new contract for the CNN CEO, whose current contract ends early next year. Sources said Thompson, who’s been CNN’s chairman and CEO since 2023, is keen to keep autonomy over editorial operations once the merger occurs—in stark contrast to CBS, which was turned on its head when Ellison hired Bari Weiss as the editor-in-chief. According to WSJ, Weiss isn’t expected to be involved in CNN when the merger goes through.