CNN’s Recent Move Gives Major Clue To Network’s Fate
Television as we know it has undergone huge changes in the last decade and more changes are coming. Warner Bros Discovery is up for sale. The huge corporation owns CNN, TLC, and dozens of other entities. Amid shakeups to news divisions across all networks, CNN dropped a huge clue about the fate of a popular anchor. Keep reading to find out more.
Paramount Makes Last Ditch Effort To Buy Warner Bros Discovery
News broke last week that Netflix was in talks to acquire Warner Bros Discovery. The move would give the streaming giant the rights to current and past films and TV shows from Warner Bros. The sale sounded like a done deal, but Paramount Skydance threw their money into the ring.
Paramount Global merged with Skydance Media in August, forming Paramount Skydance. Now the company wants to take over Warner Bros Discovery as well. On Monday, Paramount Global bid $108.4 billion in an all-cash offer. Netflix’s bid was $82.7 billion.
President Trump recently said that he wants to be involved in deciding which company purchases Warner Bros Discovery. The negotiations are ongoing.
CNN’s Major Clue To Network’s Fate With Anchor Renewal
Warner Bros Discovery changing owners could lead to huge shakeups on their networks. It happened at CBS News after the merger between Paramount and Skydance. Several popular anchors left CBS amid massive cost-cutting layoffs.
The deal with Netflix reportedly included plans to break CNN off into a separate company, much like Comcast did by revamping MSNBC as MS Now. Several MSNBC anchors were asked to take pay cuts, including Rachel Maddow. Joy Reid left the network earlier this year amid contract negotiations.
But according to Variety, at least one long-time CNN anchor is safe from whatever happens with the news outlet. Anderson Cooper, who has been with CNN since 2001, reportedly signed a new contract before Warner Bros Discovery went up for sale. Anderson Cooper 360° is the network’s second most-watched news program after NewsNight with Abby Phillip.
Despite that, Anderson Cooper was the highest-paid anchor on CNN. His previous contract was reportedly worth $20 million. Several sources said that he recently signed a new contract, but didn’t share his new payday.
In addition to his nightly show, Anderson Cooper co-hosts the network’s New Year’s Eve show alongside Bravo’s Andy Cohen. Comedian Kathy Griffin initially co-hosted. She was fired in 2017 after a controversial photo shoot involving President Trump’s severed head.
CNN viewers took to social media to share their reaction to the news that Anderson Cooper is staying put at CNN.
- “Anderson is CNN!”
- “Good! We need him more than ever”
- “Lately he’s so associated with weepy, sad programming, It’s hard to see him in any other role.”
- “Glad he’s staying. Some things are worth sticking around for”
- “Yeah, where would he go? Nobody else would take him.”
- “The ONLY corporation that would have him!”
- “Not surprising. He has around 7 shows.”
- “He should have left. CNN is becoming a joke. Especially with all the time they give to Jennings. If he gets his own show, CNN is dead. Smerconish is bad enough.”
However, one television viewer wasn’t so sure the contract was as ironclad as reported. “Let’s see how that works out…if Netflix fight for Warner bros/Discovery isn’t successful…CNN could be in big trouble financially,” they wrote. Tell us in the comments how you feel about Anderson Cooper reportedly staying at CNN.
