CNN staffers see Paramount merger as ‘inevitable’ despite legal battle delaying Ellison takeover

A delay in the looming Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery mega-merger that would put CNN under the control of David Ellison did little to quell anxieties at the struggling network. 

A CNN insider told that everyone theyve spoken to feels the merger is “inevitable” and said the delay hardly lifted spirits inside the company that has seen multiple leadership changes in recent memory. 

“No change in morale,” the insider said. “Keep in mind the current situation is grim, so people see it as a matter of bad or worse.” 

Ellisons Paramount is attempting to build a media empire of historic proportions by acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery for $111 billion. The European Union and the U.S. Justice Department have each signed off on the deal, with the final roadblock coming from an antitrust lawsuit led by California Attorney General . 

Some staffers are concerned about the direction of the network under Ellison, while others are worried about keeping their jobs. A second CNN insider, a longtime employee, is sick of the constant speculation. 

“I think most people just want whatever done, done,” they told Fox News Digital. 

“I’ve been through multiple CEOs,” they continued. “I’ve seen very little change based on who is at the very top.”

There has been a revolving door of bosses who have run CNN in recent years. From 2013 to early 2022, then-CEO Jeff Zucker reshaped the network to be adversarial to President Donald Trump, particularly during his first term in office. After his ousting as a result of an undisclosed workplace romance he had with one of his deputies, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav tapped , who worked as the top producer for MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and “CBS This Morning” before becoming the executive producer of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” to become Zucker’s successor. 

Early in his tenure, Licht made clear he wanted to dial back the left-leaning programming that dominated the network during the Zucker era. However, he struggled to earn the trust of the CNN workforce, who were fiercely loyal to Zucker — an extremely hands-on leader in comparison to Licht — and were far more aligned with Zucker’s vision for the network. 

Tensions came to a head in 2023 when Licht invited Trump on air for a CNN town hall, which sparked outrage among his staff and liberal viewers. Licht was publicly criticized by CNN personalities such as and then-media reporter Oliver Darcy, while a somber Anderson Cooper told viewers he understood if they decided to ditch CNN forever. Employees got even more upset with Licht when an unflattering profile in The Atlantic revealed he told Trump to “have fun” prior to taking the stage. 

Zaslav ultimately fired Licht and replaced him with CNN’s current CEO Mark Thompson, who has been credited for his effective stints leading The New York Times and the BBC. However, Thompson’s own future at the network remains uncertain.

It was reported that Thompson insisted “he would not share oversight of CNN with another executive” after it was reported that Bari Weiss, Ellison’s handpicked editor-in-chief of CBS News, would take on an oversight position at CNN after both networks are under one corporate roof. 

Thompson hasn’t sparked internal strife the way Licht did, but sagging ratings, a confusing digital strategy and nonstop takeover rumors have caused continued dread within the company. 

“I think, for most, things haven’t been the same since Jeff Zucker left,” the second CNN insider said. 

If Ellison does take control of CNN, the historic deal would come at least one year after his company acquired CBS News through a similar merger. 

Things havent exactly gone smoothly at CBS News under Ellison, as Weiss — like Licht — has struggled to earn the , infuriating liberals with changes seemingly designed to make the networks coverage less partisan. 

Critics of Weiss and Ellison have accused them of bending the knee to Trump and trying t