'No One Is Happy': CNN Staffers 'Devastated' as Warner Bros. Discovery-Paramount Deal Sparks Panic at Troubled Network
CNN staff fear cost cuts, debt restructuring, and threats to newsroom independence following Paramount's $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, including potential CBS News merger.
- On Thursday, Paramount struck a $111 billion deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery that includes CNN, a move CNN CEO Mark Thompson said has staff on edge.
- Repeated ownership changes and follow-on cuts have driven CNN staff anxiety in recent years, with Warner Bros. Discovery selling partly due to heavy debt and cost-cutting pressures.
- Inside CNN, journalists say they're fearful for the future after the sale was announced, with half a dozen folks describing anxiety about deep cuts, especially if combined with CBS News, while David Ellison, Paramount CEO, installing Bari Weiss at CBS News raises editorial concerns.
- U.S. federal regulators must approve the deal, and observers note President Trump wants CNN sold while the Ellisons reportedly made concessions to secure regulatory passage.
- Financials, including a roughly $600 million adjusted EBITDA estimate for 2026, raise questions about cost savings and consolidation as WBD projects CNN revenue of $1.8 billion in 2026 rising to $2.2 billion by 2030, while CBS News posts substantially lower revenue.
14 Articles
14 Articles
CNN Employees Freaking Out Over Possibly Working For Trump-Friendly Owner
by Harold Hutchison, All News Pipeline: Employees at CNN “have real concerns ”about the network’s future after Paramount won a bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN senior media analyst Brian Stelter reported Friday. Netflix ended its efforts to acquire the media conglomerate that owns CNN after Paramount offered $31 a share, which the board […]
An Open Letter to the Reporters and Staff of CNN
By Ben Meiselas Editorial credit: Montage created with image from Ben Von Klemperer / Shutterstock.com The announced acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount Global and reports that Bari Weiss is expected to oversee CNN’s operations is not just another corporate shakeup. I want to be…
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