R&I – FS
Incoming CNN boss Chris Licht plans to nix the network’s left-leaning commentary when he assumes the role of president this May, insiders say, and has already engaged in talks with rival Fox News about halting its aggressive coverage of them.
Former CBS exec Licht, 50, who headed Stephen Colbert’s Late Show for six years until it was announced he was replacing ousted boss Jeff Zucker last month, has already begun closed door conversations with key figures close to the conservative news network, two sources close to the matter told The Daily Beast Tuesday.
Licht reportedly told certain Fox reporters and agents to breathe a little easier because he is working towards a ceasefire after his network’s unrelenting negative coverage of the competing news station.
The exec plans to push hosts like Don Lemon and Jim Acosta away from opinionated reporting that became especially prevalent during Donald Trump’s election campaign and presidency. He wants to return to the station’s roots as a hard-hitting news source, the insiders said.
John Smithe