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In the days after Ben Smith first reported on August 23 that Thompson was a leading candidate

  In the days after Ben Smith first reported on August 23 that Thompson was a leading candidate surprising employees and observers alike, who expected Zaslav wasn’t in a rush to install a new general after Licht’s ill-fated year on the job—it was tricky to gauge how CNN’s long-suffering worker bees felt about the prospect of yet another shake-up in the C-suite. On the one hand,  Thompson looked good on paper, a seasoned CEO who (unlike Licht, primarily known as a celebrated producer) had managed sprawling media organizations and knew his way around a complex P&L. On the other hand, I got a sense that the appetite for boat-rocking was low, and that people seemed perfectly happy with the interim leadership quartet of David Leavy, Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley, and Eric Sherling, who will all report to Thompson once he begins in October. On Wednesday, however, I picked up on some early enthusiasm for the new boss. “I woke up feeling very encouraged,” said one CNN journalist. ...
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There isn’t a more experienced, respected

  There isn’t a more experienced, respected  capable executive in the news business today than Mark ,” said WBD CEO David Zaslav in an accompanying statement. “His strategic vision, track record in transformational leadership, and sheer passion for news make him a formidable force for CNN and journalism at this pivotal time.” From what I’m told, Thompson’s name was at the top of Zaslav’s list pretty much right away after he fired Chris Licht in early June.  In high-level strategy meetings about CNN, there’s been an acknowledgment that the network needs to “do what the Times did” in transforming an iconic legacy news brand. So why not get the guy who stewarded the Times through that very era of change?  As a source close to the process put it, “He should have been the choice in the first place.” (For what it’s worth, Thompson’s former partners in crime at the Times sang his praises; Levien called him “a remarkable leader…intently focused on talent development,” and pu...
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