CNN's new boss has tapped an enthusiastic and controversial executive to run the station's struggling newsroom. Some members of the public claim she is a “tyrant” with “zero interpersonal skills”.
Mark Thompson — the British-born media tycoon who took over as CEO of CNN in October — named Virginia Moseley the left-leaning media outlet's new editor-in-chief on Wednesday.
CNN staff members immediately became nervous over the promotion of Mr. Moseley, 61, a person familiar with the matter said. One insider described her as an “insightful and excellent journalist”, but others complained about Moseley's fiery approach to her management team.
“The word most often used to describe her is tyrant,” the source said. “She brought reporters and producers to tears. She fires before she can aim.”
The source added that Moseley “makes a big deal” about small mistakes, “makes things big” and “makes a big fuss” to make her feel like “the whole world is falling apart and only she can fix it.” He added that he is doing so.
Mr. Moseley was part of a trio of interim executives running the network after Mr. Thompson's predecessor, Chris Licht, was fired after about a year at the helm.
At the time, sources said Moseley was a manager with an “iron” work ethic who required everyone to come to the office during the pandemic.
Some CNN sources praised Moseley, saying she was a “passionate leader” who would “step up to bat” for reporters.
They added that she is well-liked for her air talent and has formidable expertise in Washington politics.
“Virginia is a great leader,” Chief Operating Officer David Levy told the Post. “She doesn't get to this level without making difficult decisions. She's highly respected.”
“She's a great newsman and has guided us through some difficult news stories,” Levy added, referring to CNN's coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.
Another source countered: “You don't have to be a boring person to be a good journalist.” “There was an undercurrent of hope that Mark would find someone else.” [for the role]”
“People are shocked,” another source added, explaining that the promotion shows Thompson isn't listening to employees and doesn't bode well for the network's future.
Neither CNN nor Moseley have commented.
Insiders noted that Mr. Moseley has strong ties to both Mr. Thompson and Mr. Levy, a powerful consigliere to David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN's parent company.
“Mark has a good relationship with Virginia. He cited conversations they had about the story. [in the morning meeting]” added the network source. “She's very good at laughing and smiling, and then she turns around and cuts you. She talks. She stirs things up.”
Some inside CNN say Thompson's promotion of Moseley didn't change much, but it did raise concerns among the New York-based internal staff that coverage was becoming too focused on Washington, D.C. Some people said that there might be.
Moseley joined CNN in 2012 after 10 years at CBS News and a stint at ABC News, where he managed CNN's political coverage teams, including the White House, national security and the Department of Justice.
The executive married Tom Nyes, a Wells Fargo deputy special agent and former U.S. ambassador to Israel, in 2021, according to people familiar with the matter, and is in Washington, D.C., as is Eric Schirling, executive vice president of television programming. He is said to be very in tune with D.C. politics.
Thompson unveiled a controversial promotion Wednesday as he laid out a strategy to boost the cable network's digital presence as cord-cutting continues.
In a memo obtained by the Post, Thompson said the network will explore growth and a “multimedia newsroom” that will consolidate all of the network's reporting operations into one unit serving television, streaming and digital platforms. He said he plans to create a department. chance.
As part of Thompson's announcement Wednesday, the executive said he wants to monetize CNN's services, possibly through subscriptions, and find better ways to view video news on mobile phones as a way to appeal to younger viewers. .
“I don't think anyone has cracked the code yet on how that translates and leads to a really great news experience.” Thompson told the Wall Street Journal. In an interview on the same day.
He said people would be willing to pay for it if CNN could “figure out a way to do it and ensure it's a high-quality, differentiated product.”
Mr. Thompson, the former CEO of the New York Times, did not announce specific plans for new products or specific business models.
There had been much speculation that the executive would borrow from his old strategy from his days at the Times, when he launched a subscription products business focused on areas such as travel and health.
He told the Journal that while it wasn't specifically his plan, CNN would “honestly” consider those ideas and “start with the news” because it's “a core proposition that the CNN brand evokes.” He said it was necessary.
“I don't even know if subscriptions are the right vehicle for CNN,” Thompson said. “But I think we need to start experimenting and exploring direct-to-consumer relationships in a broader sense, and potentially direct-to-consumer payment relationships.”
To put his somewhat amorphous plan into action, Thompson also promoted Mike McCarthy, general manager of CNN International, to editor-in-chief and hired Alex McCallum, who recently left the Washington Post, to run digital products. Hired as Vice President of Services.
Like other cable executives, Thompson is grappling with declining ratings for the network's serialized television as younger viewers turn to streaming.
“CNN has been slow to respond to this challenge,” he wrote in the memo. “Perhaps it's not surprising. CNN today is no longer such a mob outsider, but a lifelong tenured This is my current job.”
The executive added that CNN's strength is “when big news comes out,” but “there's too little innovation and risk-taking right now.”
He noted that CNN's cable TV will play a “central and critical role” in its success, but the network needs to address “the long-term economics of television” and that “the TV production machine “We are actively considering ways to make it operational.” You can build a sustainable foothold without negatively impacting journalism.
Mr. Licht addressed the problem through a series of cost cuts that eliminated hundreds of positions.
He also tried to reshape CNN's morning and prime-time lineups with new shows and a shake-up of anchors, but the network sank to the bottom and the backlash against the embattled executive only grew. was.
Despite the problem across television, CNN has seen a significant drop in viewership.
This week, it ranked third in total viewers for the Iowa caucuses, behind Fox News and MSNBC. The caucus has traditionally been a breaking news event for the station, which has benefited ratings.
CNN beat MSNBC in the all-important 25-to-54 demographic, but the three major news networks had only about half the combined audience of the 2020 caucuses, Nielsen ratings show. .
Thompson did not specifically mention any programming changes, but said the network would reinvest in original production under Amy Entelis, who has been named executive vice president of CNN Originals and Creative Development. Mr. Entelis, a CNN veteran, most recently helped run the network after Mr. Richt retired.
Under Richt, CNN cut back on its original movies and series, canceled shows like “Stanley Tucci: In Search of Italy,” and moved to the National Geographic Channel.
Mr. Thompson also managed executive personnel, including business development, communications and human resources teams, among others.
The CEO ended his memo with a message of encouragement to employees: “We need to organize around the future, not the past.”
“We need to recapture some of the exaggeration and innovation of early CNN. It's time for a new revolution.”
