Former CNN head Chris Licht's communications catastrophe
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The damning 15,000-word profile in The Atlantic was the final nail in the coffin for CNN's recently ousted CEO Chris Licht, whose newsroom was bogged down by low ratings and even lower morale.
Why it matters: The profile itself embodies how not all press is good press, and Licht's desire for outside validation did him no favors inside CNN.
- This is the anatomy of a perfect communications spiral. The network's misunderstood CEO over-shared externally, under-shared internally and CNN's media rivals quickly capitalized on the drama.
Catch-up quick: Licht was brought in to replace predecessor Jeff Zucker during a time of uncertainty — the news organization had been through a major merger, was anticipating countless rounds of layoffs and was in the midst of a major scandal and subsequent lawsuit filed by their former primetime anchor.
- As opposed to rebuilding employee morale and uniting the team around his new vision for the future of CNN, Licht created distance — both literally, by moving his office to the 22nd floor, and metaphorically, by openly criticizing CNN's former leadership, coverage and editorial decisions.
- CNN ignored multiple requests for comment when asked about its internal communications strategy.
Yes, but: A broken, ratings-driven culture is not unique to CNN. Every major TV news network has dealt with internal turmoil in one form or another.
- NBC Universal, ABC News and CBS News have been accused of fostering toxic workplaces, while Fox News is stuck in what appears to be a neverending string of lawsuits.
Between the lines: Top communicators from other networks recognize they too are vulnerable to harsh criticism, which is why many were confused by CNN's decision to give The Atlantic such unfettered access.
- As one former head of communications for a cable news network put it, "Every PR person who has granted extensive access to a company or its executive has come to regret it."
By the numbers: While The Atlantic was embedded with Licht, he was also participating in other self-promotional interviews.
- Roughly five months into his tenure, Licht joined CNBC for an interview that opened the PR floodgates.
- From there, he appeared on Kara Swisher's podcast (Nov. 17, 2022), sat for interviews with the Financial Times (Nov. 20, 2022) and was profiled by The New York Times (Dec. 18, 2022).
- The press blitz continued into the new year with Variety (Jan. 10), The Los Angeles Times (Jan. 30) and a sit-down with Ben Smith at the Semafor Media Summit (April 11).
- On average, there are 3,242 articles mentions about Licht per month, almost double the next most exposed news executive, Fox News' Suzanne Scott, according to MuckRack data shared with Axios.
- Of note, her coverage spiked in March of 2022, after a deadly attack on two Fox News journalists covering the war in Ukraine, and in April of 2023, following the Dominion Voting Systems settlement.
- Broadcast counterparts from ABC News, CBS News, NBC News and PBS averaged roughly one-10th of Licht's coverage combined.
Context: According to sources Axios spoke with, Licht's peers at the other networks regularly turned down these sort of media opportunities.
- Scott is the exception. She has given four interviews — with The Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter, AdWeek and Variety — during her five-year tenure.
- The New York Times published a profile on Scott in late 2022, which she did not participate in.
State of play: Engaging in a steady drumbeat of press is uncommon for new executives, says one communications professional who has overseen several CEO transitions.
- Instead, the executive observed that most leaders focus on internal communications campaigns by conducting listening tours, holding employee town halls and aligning the team around a shared vision.
- It's bad form — and dangerous — to go external when your organization is a mess internally.
- PR blitzes typically come when announcing a big initiative, highlighting corporate progress with hard numbers, or as a final swan song as part of an exit strategy.
What they're saying: During an editorial call on Monday, Licht apologized by saying, “I should not be in the news unless it’s taking arrows for you,” a source on the call told Axios' Sara Fischer.
What we're watching: CNN and another embattled media company, Twitter, have recently brought in top communication professionals — David Leavy at CNN and Joe Benarroch at Twitter — to manage business operations and get the houses in order.
- CNN senior communications executives Kris Coratti Kelly and Matt Dornic have left the network.
- Leavy will oversee the communications operation moving forward, according to Semafor.
