You can now listen to Fox News articles!WarnerMedia, which is the parent company to CNN, is expected to finalize a long-planned merger with Discovery next week. Discovery CEO David Zaslav will oversee the combined venture, and TV industry veteran Chris Licht has been selected to run CNN once the deal is final. Kilar was never expected to stick around but made it official with a memo to employees.
"Leading this team has been the honor of my lifetime," he wrote in the memo that was obtained by Fox News Digital. Some CNN insiders thought Kilar simply wanted to eliminate Zucker to personal reasons, while others felt he was tasked with doing Discovery’s dirty work. Zaslav has denied any involvement with the decision.
Kilar initially claimed Zucker had to step down because he failed to disclose a consensual sexual relationship with a fellow CNN executive, but later admitted Zucker violated the network’s news standards and practices. Kilar never explained what exactly Zucker did to violate the rules.Shortly after Zucker was forced out, CNN staffers in the network’s Washington, D.C., bureau had a fiery confrontation with Kilar as the high-powered executive attempted to justify the departure of their leader.