CNN has landed on its turnaround solution: Mark Thompson has been selected as the new CEO of the network, which he'll officially join on Oct. 9. It's a position he held from 2012 to 2020 at the New York Times, having made major strides in building its robust online subscription business and rolling out podcasts under his purview. Prior to that he held the top slot at the BBC. Context:
- The Wall Street Journal sees Thompson's selection as "a striking contrast" to the previous pick, TV producer Chris Licht. Licht had no experience helming a major news operation and exited in June roughly a year into his tenure, with the network's ratings well behind those of Fox News and MSNBC.