https://www.foxnews.com/media/...akeover-insiders-say
Netflix backing out of bid for Warner Bros Discovery paves way for CNN to fall under David Ellison's control

By Joseph A. Wulfsohn , Brian Flood | Fox News
Published February 27, 2026 12:50pm EST

The mood inside CNN was "horrific" on Friday as network leadership sought to calm fears of anxious staffers, with parent company Warner Bros. Discovery appearing set to hand control of the network to Paramount CEO David Ellison.

Netflix dropped its bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery on Thursday after the company announced Paramount's latest bid to buy all of its assets, including CNN, was "superior." The sale to Paramount would put Ellison — who has a close relationship with President Donald Trump and has angered liberals for installing Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News — in charge of CNN.

"The mood is horrific," a CNN insider told Fox News Digital. "People are very upset."

A second CNN insider told Fox News Digital that staffers feel "a mix of despair, apprehension and curiosity."

"Look, I think this is a place that has gone through a lot. A lot of mergers in the past decade. A lot of ‘fresh’ starts," the CNN insider said.

"I think there is an underlying fear of mixing two news divisions," they continued. "Who is gonna get canned?"

While most corporate mergers of this magnitude come with headcount reductions, many CNN staffers are well aware that CBS News has undergone both layoffs and directional changes since Ellison took over last year. Weiss, who was handpicked by Ellison, has bluntly told staffers they are "not producing a product that enough people want." She has also taken steps to tamp down the liberal slant that was prominent at CBS News before the Ellison takeover.

Now, CNN may be in the same boat, and the possibility that Weiss will have anything to do with the struggling cable network has spooked staffers, some of whom turned on former CEO Chris Licht when he tried to tamp down CNN's partisanship that marked the Jeff Zucker era.

Shortly after the news of Netflix backing out broke, current CNN CEO Mark Thompson sent a memo to staffers announcing an internal town hall "to discuss next steps and to answer your questions to the best of our ability."

"Despite all the speculation you’ve read during this process, I’d suggest that you don’t jump to conclusions about the future until we know more. And secondly let’s not forget our duty to our audience," Thompson wrote in the memo obtained by Fox News Digital.

"We’re still near the start of what is already an incredibly newsy year at home and abroad, one that will culminate with critical U.S. midterm elections and who knows what else," he continued. "Let’s continue to focus on delivering the best possible journalism to the millions of people who rely on us all around the world."

While Thompson did his best to quell concerns, the insider also suggested the possibility of talent fleeing CNN ahead of the Ellison takeover if they can afford it.

A second insider said the two main concerns are "job loss" and "editorial indifference," noting the former "greatly outranks" the latter. Specifically, CNN staffers worry about a potential "bloodbath" if CBS News and CNN were to merge.

The first CNN insider has grown accustomed to corporate change — CNN has had several corporate parents over the decades, including Time Warner and AT&T — and understands that Ellison wouldn't formally have control for quite some time if the acquisition goes through.

"It won’t close until year end. Maybe longer," they said. "And between now and then the world will change in major ways. So, when it closes, the lay of the land and their intentions may change … I think it’s best to reserve judgement and be calm and let it all play out."

Meanwhile, CNN has largely embraced anti-Trump programming for much of the last decade, and the president has responded by publicly criticizing the network on a regular basis. Last year, The Wall Street Journal reported that Ellison told Trump officials that he'd make sweeping changes to CNN if he became its owner.

The first CNN insider is trying to keep an "open mind" but said it’s easy to understand why staffers are upset given the reporting on Ellison and Trump discussing changes.

"It’s existential for the brand to be owned by an individual who has personal allegiance to a political figure and is not even answering to public markets," they told Fox News Digital.

"But — I mean what I’m saying. It’s not just me trying to take a deep breath. I truly believe we can only react to what is, not what might be," they continued. "And we have no idea what the world will look like when this closes."

That is samfrantastic news!

Well my mood seeing these scumbags finally get what’s due them is:

This is so satisfying to read.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:
"The mood is horrific," a CNN insider told Fox News Digital. "People are very upset."

CNN is the least watched "news" channel. Once Ellison takes over, heads will roll. I'm sure he remembers that once upon a time, CNN was the benchmark for TV 24 hour TV news, now reduced to a punchline.

Talent fleeing? What talent? Fleeing to where? If they had any personalities with a following they wouldn’t be in the toilet.

Goodbye to you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_50-gOeBilc

Well, if they flee it will be to MSNBC and that will double the viewers they have LOL

quote:

"Let’s continue to focus on delivering the best possible journalism to the millions of people who rely on us all around the world."

In other words, less than 0.1% of the world relies on CNN.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: trapper189,

Hopefully Al Jazeera and every Canadian news channel are hiring.

Not very many job openings in TV journalism. Transferable skills would be talking Starbucks customers into buying those $8 lattes.

Layoffs and massive reductions in programming sound be welcomed. Perhaps CNN becomes a 2 hour a day ‘fake news’ channel with the remaining 22 hours being pharmaceutical and Medicare ads

It's so bad, Toobin wasn't even able to rub one out during his last Zoom call.

quote:

Originally posted by Krazeehorse:
Talent fleeing? What talent? Fleeing to where? If they had any personalities with a following they wouldn’t be in the toilet.

Maybe they thought it would be too rude to say "rats scurrying".


.

I bet Scott Jennings isn't worried about finding his next job.

CNN anchors will be horrified alright; they’ve been doing news parody for a LONG time. Being presented with having to actually present true, unbiased, nonpartisan news will be breaking totally new ground…

I have 2000 shares of WBD. It went from $7 a share up to $30 a share of takeover news.

The Netflix offer was shit at best. Paramount at $31 will get me to sell.

I sold mine at $29.72.

I guess researching real news stories is so much harder that being a DNC mouthpiece.