John Malone Steps Down as Liberty Media Chairman

Pioneering media mogul John Malone is stepping down from his role as chairman of Liberty Media and Liberty Global, companies that have significantly influenced the cable television sector over the years.

“Founding Liberty Media and being its chairman has been one of the most fulfilling parts of my career,” Malone shared in a statement. He noted that recent successes in simplifying their portfolio and the strong state of the company made it an appropriate moment for him to reduce his responsibilities. He’s pleased to announce that his long-time colleague, Dov Bennett, will take over as chairman.

Malone expressed confidence in Bennett, who has been involved in significant decisions throughout Liberty Media’s journey. He plans to remain engaged as a substantial shareholder and as a strategic advisor to the company’s management and board.

Malone, who established Liberty Media in 1991, is set to become chairman emeritus next year.

At 84, he has held notable positions on the boards of several media outlets, including Warner Bros. Discovery and Qurate Retail, which includes Charter Communications and QVC. Malone has been a mentor to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav and has previously garnered attention for his criticisms of CNN, especially around the time of the WarnerMedia and Discovery merger.

In an earlier statement, he had suggested he would like CNN to revert to its roots of objective journalism, advocating for real journalists to refresh its approach.

Malone has been candid about his views on CNN, describing its staff as primarily left-leaning and claiming they tend to inject personal opinions into their news reporting. These insights were detailed in his recent memoir, where he noted his perspective on the network’s political slant.

In a conversation with The New York Times, Malone remarked that Zaslav had found it challenging to shift CNN’s political tone, suggesting that the network operates as a left-wing, anti-Trump news outlet. This assertion was met with a denial from a CNN representative.