CNN employees are reportedly grappling with low morale and rising anxiety as Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) prepares to spin off the network into a new company—leaving many to wonder whether the once-mighty cable news giant will survive the transformation.
A senior staffer described the newsroom mood as “really grim,” citing the looming split and fears of deep cost-cutting by the new leadership. Last week, WBD revealed plans to divide its assets into two separate companies: one focused on studios and streaming, and the other—tentatively called Global Networks—containing its cable channels, including CNN. That division will be led by WBD CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels and is expected to finalize next year.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty,” said the staffer. “We’ve been anticipating this, and now we’re just hoping CNN will be sold to someone who’s willing to invest in it.”
But investment may be hard to come by. Wiedenfels is known for his cost-conscious approach, and the cable division he’ll oversee is expected to carry a substantial share of WBD’s staggering debt load. According to insiders, more layoffs are inevitable, with one employee bluntly noting, “Gunnar equals efficiency—and that means cuts.”
Despite promises of a new CNN streaming service launching this fall, staffers aren’t optimistic. They say the plan isn’t enough to offset declining ad revenue, especially in the key 25-54 age demographic where CNN just logged its second-worst month ever in May. One employee said they were bracing for further layoffs: “It’s hard to imagine it doesn’t get worse.”
CNN has had a troubled corporate history. From its days under Time Warner, then AOL, then AT&T, and now WBD, the network has been shuffled between parent companies like a hot potato. Now, some inside the newsroom see WBD’s latest move as an attempt to make CNN more sellable—but not necessarily more stable.
One staffer was especially blunt in blaming current WBD CEO David Zaslav. “Zaslav killed this place. The last few years under him have been a disaster,” they said. Zaslav tapped former BBC and New York Times executive Mark Thompson to run CNN in 2023, but many employees say the damage had already been done.
Critics outside the company, including Puck correspondent Dylan Byers, have predicted CNN could end up like HLN, its now-defunct sister network. One CNN staffer didn’t dispute that possibility, admitting, “I’m trying to figure out what I’ll do next when the whole thing collapses.”
Still, some glimmers of hope remain. One insider argued that the CNN brand is still powerful and worth preserving, likening it to Nike in terms of cultural recognition. “If we throw it away, that’s a management decision,” they said. “Not a foregone conclusion.”
Meanwhile, CNN continues to sink in the ratings. The network’s audience numbers are approaching record lows, and executives are scrambling to reinvent its business model amid a shifting media landscape that favors digital content over linear cable.
With a full year until the corporate split becomes official, many at CNN are holding their breath. But inside the newsroom, the feeling is clear: change is coming, and few believe it will be for the better.
