{"id":48754,"date":"2026-04-12T17:29:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T17:29:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=48754"},"modified":"2026-04-12T17:29:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T17:29:21","slug":"ceo-mark-thompson-taps-heir-apparent-in-shakeup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=48754","title":{"rendered":"CEO Mark Thompson taps heir apparent in shakeup"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>CNN boss Mark Thompson has quietly anointed a top lieutenant as his likely successor.<\/p>\n<p>Alex MacCallum, CNN\u2019s digital chief who worked under Thompson when he ran The New York Times Company, has been tapped as the left-leaning cable network\u2019s new chief operating officer.<\/p>\n<p>Thompson circulated a memo to staffers announcing the move earlier this week, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.status.news\/p\/cnn-alex-maccallum-mark-thompson-succession-plan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according to the Status newsletter.<\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>CNN digital chief Alex MacCallum (seen far right alongside Maya Voelk, center, and Omar Jimenez) has been tapped as chief operating officer, positioning her as a likely successor to CEO Mark Thompson. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images for CNN<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The move is likely a blow to other top brass \u2014 including executive editor Virginia Moseley, who had long been seen internally as a leading contender for the top job, Status reported.<\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson for CNN said Moseley has repeatedly told people she is fully committed to her role as executive editor of the global news operation and not interested in another role.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>In January 2024, The Post<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/01\/17\/media\/cnns-ceo-taps-tyrant-virginia-moseley-to-lead-newsroom\/\"> reported that rank-and-file staffers at CNN<\/a> were unhappy that Moseley was elevated by Thompson to serve as executive editor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2018Tyrant\u2019 is the word that you hear used the most to describe her,\u201d a source told The Post at the time. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe has reduced reporters and producers to tears. She fires before she aims.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The shake-up comes at a critical moment for CNN as it grapples with declining cable revenues and seeks to reinvent itself as a subscription-driven digital news operation \u2014 and as staff ready for Paramount Skydance to buy the news org\u2019s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>CNN executive editor Virginia Moseley had been seen internally as a leading contender for the top job before the shake-up. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images for CAA<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Thompson has been overhauling CNN with an \u201caudience-first\u201d push into digital subscriptions and streaming \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/03\/24\/media\/cnn-set-to-cut-employees-this-week-as-part-of-ceo-mark-thompsons-digital-overhaul-report\/\">a strategy that has included layoffs<\/a>, restructuring and a renewed direct-to-consumer push.<\/p>\n<p>MacCallum has been at the center of that effort, overseeing CNN\u2019s digital products and helping launch its subscription and streaming businesses.<\/p>\n<p>She was initially hired by then-CNN President Jeff Zucker to help build CNN+, the network\u2019s short-lived and ill-fated streaming service.<\/p>\n<p>MacCallum later returned under Thompson to lead its digital push.<\/p>\n<p>In his memo, Thompson praised her \u201cimpressive set of critical accomplishments,\u201d crediting her with building a \u201cworld-class digital operation\u201d and launching CNN\u2019s direct-to-consumer subscription business.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>CNN chief Mark Thompson is reshaping the network\u2019s leadership as he pushes a digital overhaul. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images for Semafor<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIn a remarkable two-year run back at CNN, Alex has already achieved an impressive set of critical accomplishments in record time,\u201d Thompson wrote in the memo circulated to staffers on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn top of building a world-class digital operation and transforming our core products, she\u2019s led and launched a direct-to-consumer sub business, assembled a set of outstanding leaders in audience, data, product and tech, engagement and monetization, and has built excellent collaborative working relationships with all of CNN\u2019s other top leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>MacCallum (center) has been at the center of CNN\u2019s digital overhaul, overseeing subscription and streaming efforts under Mark Thompson. <span class=\"credit\">Laura Thompson\/Shutterstock for AWNewYork<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The C-suite drama unfolds against a <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/02\/26\/business\/warner-bros-discovery-says-paramounts-31-per-share-bid-is-superior-to-netflix-offer-latest-twist-in-bidding-war\/\">backdrop of uncertainty over the network\u2019s future<\/a> ownership and the possible implications for Thompson\u2019s tenure.<\/p>\n<p>In February, <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/02\/26\/media\/paramount-skydance-victory-in-warner-bros-discovery-bidding-war-came-after-failed-netflix-exec-visit-to-win-over-white-house\/\">Paramount Skydance agreed to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery<\/a> in a deal valued at about $31 per share, or roughly $110 billion, bringing major assets including CNN, HBO and the Warner Bros. studio under the control of Paramount CEO David Ellison.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Moseley\u2019s standing at CNN has been under scrutiny following internal backlash from staffers. <span class=\"credit\">CNN<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The proposed deal has rattled CNN\u2019s newsroom, with staffers raising concerns about editorial independence and the network\u2019s fate under new ownership.<\/p>\n<p>Thompson <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/03\/26\/media\/cnn-boss-mark-thompson-addresses-his-future-in-tense-exchange-with-staffers-over-paramount-deal-report\/\">has sought to reassure journalists <\/a>in recent meetings, telling staff he remains committed to CNN and intends to stay on as the company navigates the transition to new ownership, which still needs regulatory approval.<\/p>\n<p>But unease persists internally, fueled by Paramount\u2019s recent moves at CBS News \u2014 including layoffs and leadership changes \u2014 as well as broader questions about how a combined media empire under Ellison would reshape CNN.<\/p>\n<p>The Post has sought comment from CNN.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/10\/media\/cnn-succession-drama-ceo-mark-thompson-taps-heir-apparent-in-shakeup\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CNN boss Mark Thompson has quietly anointed a top lieutenant as his likely successor. Alex MacCallum, CNN\u2019s digital chief who worked under Thompson when he ran&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":48755,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=48754"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48754\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/48755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=48754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=48754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=48754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}