After a two-year stint managing CNN‘s enterprise throughout a management and technique transition, David Leavy is heading again to his longtime dwelling at guardian firm Warner Bros. Discovery.
The chief had joined as chief working officer of the cable information community throughout the short-lived Chris Licht-led period then stepped in to co-lead the model days later after Licht was fired in June 2023.
“David arrived at CNN in tumultuous instances and did a superb job stabilizing the corporate at a troublesome second,” learn a observe from CNN president Mark Thompson to employees on Wednesday. “Through the transition he led CNN collectively with Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley and Eric Sherling and performed a central half serving to me into my position as chairman and CEO earlier than, as COO, main a number of organizations and groups throughout income, promotion, operations and information.”
Leavy, who had spent twenty years at Discovery previous to parachuting in to CNN throughout a second of uncertainty, will return to the Warners company fold in an unspecified position. “David will spend the following month or so making certain a easy transition, which also needs to give everybody who’s labored with him an opportunity to say thanks for his main contribution throughout his tour of obligation right here,” Thompson wrote.
On the time of his appointment two years in the past, CNN was in the midst of an overhaul executed by Licht that concerned considerably remodeling the channel’s programming to fight declining rankings and a number of on-air expertise shuffles. Licht, who joined the model in 2022 after time as a producer at Morning Joe, CBS This Morning, and The Late Present With Stephen Colbert, had his tenure lower quick after Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav pulled the plug. (“I take full accountability,” Zaslav stated on the time.)
Leavy was then tasked with making certain a gentle transition to the following management period at CNN, which kicked off months later when former BBC and New York Occasions govt Mark Thompson was named its new chief. Now simply shy of two years at CNN, Thompson is executing a digital pivot that features pushing for on-line subscribers, a technique that proved profitable for the Occasions because the paper amassed 11.7 million paying subs. That features CNN launching a brand new standalone streaming service (aside from the pay TV bundle), with pricing to-be-determined, this fall.
Thompson famous a slew of org chart reporting adjustments as Leavy returns to Warners.
“Following his departure, Phil Nelson’s worldwide industrial and income groups and Emily Kuhn’s communications group will report into me, as will Sam Felix in her position as general head of partnerships. Paul Crum’s Newsource teams will report into Phil. I’ll proceed to work intently and instantly with Karen Bronzo and her artistic advertising and marketing group. John Davies’ Studio and Tech Ops will report into Eric Sherling’s programming workforce,” the CNN chief wrote.
Thompson added, “Jamie Benedict’s technique workforce and Nick Cavaliere’s analysis group will now all report back to Adam Cohn, our CFO, and Christine Yi may also now report into Adam’s workforce. John Courtney’s Picture + Sound groups will report into Virginia Moseley’s International Information group, and Stacey Wolf’s enterprise affairs workforce will transfer underneath Amy Entelis’ management. Anne Gordon, David’s longtime trusted proper hand, will stick with him and likewise transition to WBD.”