Sir Mark Thompson, the English gentleman who wants to turn around CNN

In June of last year, King Charles III bestowed the honor of knighthood upon Mark Thompson, recognizing his contributions to the media industry. This was just one of many achievements throughout his successful career, during which he played significant roles in transforming major organizations such as the BBC and the New York Times. As he approaches retirement age, Thompson was presented with an exciting opportunity to lead CNN, a respected news network that has been struggling with declining viewership, financial difficulties, and a lack of clear identity. Starting on October 9, Thompson will take on the roles of chief executive, chairman, and editor-in-chief of CNN. He is expected to bring innovation to the network while also upholding its fundamental values in a challenging environment. With Thompson at the helm, CNN is well-positioned for success.

David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, which is the owner of CNN, expressed his excitement when he announced the appointment of Mark Thompson. According to Zaslav, Thompson is the most knowledgeable, esteemed, and competent executive in the news industry. He believes that Thompson's leadership will steer CNN Worldwide towards an excellent future.

Thompson is currently in a marital union with author Jane Blumberg. He has three children who share his enthusiasm for Dr Who and like to watch the show with him whenever they can. Thompson's academic journey began at a Jesuit high school, and he later obtained a degree in English from Oxford. He was in charge of the university newspaper during his time at Oxford. Thompson began his career at the BBC as an intern and progressed to being a reporter, producer and eventually a news anchor. He served as the director-general of the BBC from 2004 to 2012. During his tenure, he was instrumental in creating the network's innovative streaming service, expanding its web and mobile offerings, and coordinating the BBC's coverage of major events.

In 2012, Thompson was offered the CEO role of the New York Times Company but turned it down at first. After discussing the matter with the company's board and controlling family, who expressed their willingness to make important changes in management and offered a generous compensation package, Thompson ultimately accepted the job due to his admiration for the Times.

When Thompson took charge, he firmly believed that the New York Times should prioritize generating digital subscriptions. At the time, there were approximately 500,000 digital subscribers, and there was no significant growth in this area, as people were not sure they were ready to pay for news. However, Thompson saw the Times as more than just a simple outlet for news. He appreciated it as a highly refined cultural artifact. He had great conviction that readers would be willing to invest in the carefully-crafted articles and compelling stories that the Times had to offer.

He placed his bet on providing quality content that was diversified and covered various topics such as real estate, travel, entertainment, hobbies, cooking, product reviews, and podcasts. As a result, he revolutionized the way people work. His team of writers prioritized creating digital content, primarily tailored for mobile devices, that they subsequently repackaged for the print edition, which still accounted for a significant part of their revenue.

Thompson and the Times experienced two noteworthy increases in viewership. The initial uptick occurred during the presidency of Donald Trump, as the Times served as a counterbalance to his deceitful and oppressive actions. The second boost came with the pandemic, which forced people to stay indoors and seek out trustworthy sources of news. Under Thompson's leadership for almost eight years, the number of digital subscribers skyrocketed by a factor of ten, totaling 5.7 million at the end of his tenure.

The Times had entered a positive cycle where earning more money allowed them to put more resources into improving their news content, which drew in even more readers. During an interview with McKinsey that reflected on his eight years as CEO, Thompson expressed his happiness at the fact that the newsroom was considerably larger now than when he started. He further added that journalism from The Times is crucial for the world now more than ever.

Although Thompson wasn't in control of the editorial aspect of the New York Times, he shared his opinions in a book he wrote in 2016 called "Enough Said: What's Gone Wrong with the Language of Politics?" In his book, he predicted phenomena that are now commonplace in America, such as the prevalence of the 24-hour news cycle and the overshadowing of important debates by an overload of information. Additionally, he criticized the effect of political speeches and the absence of politeness in the populist communication displayed by figures such as Donald Trump and Silvio Berlusconi.

Thompson is preparing to face CNN's non-stop news coverage as the upcoming US presidential elections draw near in a little over a year. The channel's number of viewers has been decreasing relative to competitors like Fox and CNBC, and they have also experienced a decline in cable TV subscription revenue and difficulty in the advertising market. Despite previously making staff reductions at the BBC, Thompson is known to prioritize things other than just cutting costs in his role as CEO.

During Trump's time as president, CNN became quite popular for their journalists who weren't afraid to ask tough questions and didn't follow the White House's story. However, this approach caused some moderate and conservative viewers to leave. The CEO of Warner Bros Discovery, Zaslav, decided to invest in a more unbiased and dedicated CNN that solely delivers factual news. In the past, under the short and chaotic direction of Chris Licht, CNN failed to bring in moderate viewers and lost those who preferred a confrontational approach.

Thompson's background at the BBC has led him to value news as the most important aspect of media. Nevertheless, he recognizes the challenges that CNN faces in the current, constantly changing media environment. In his first message to the staff, Thompson explained that they are confronted with a variety of difficulties, including structural, political, and cultural obstacles. While there isn't a simple solution to overcome this disruption, he believes that there are chances to overcome it. Thompson views these problems as opportunities for CNN, due to the company's exceptional reputation and impactful journalism. He is optimistic that they will be able to navigate these challenges together.

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