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Warner Bros. Discovery announced on Wednesday that former New York Times Company CEO and top BBC executive Mark Thompson will become its new CEO, bookending a turbulent summer for the network.
“There isn’t a more experienced, respected or capable executive in the news business today than Mark, and we are thrilled to have him join our team and lead CNN Worldwide into the future,” Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said in a statement. Thompson starts Oct. 9.
Thompson’s hiring comes more than 80 days after Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav fired Chris Licht from the top job following a disastrous profile in The Atlantic in June. The profile depicted his yearlong tenure as a stain on the network—one that had alienated top talent, damaged the network’s reputation, and tanked its ratings.