that was never disclosed to the company, but CNN staffers and outside observers alike never bought that explanation, as their relationship was said to be an"open secret."
"She crossed over into advocating for the business interests of CNN’s parent company, texting a request that the governor speak to WarnerMedia’s studio chief, Ann Sarnoff," Semafor reported, citing a text message"read to Semafor by a person with firsthand access to the exchange." "The next day, Cuomo heeded Gollust’s request and called Sarnoff, who lobbied the governor to loosen restrictions on movie theaters, according to a person familiar with the exchange," Semafor reported. Former CNN marketing chief Allison Gollust worked for Andrew Cuomo before decamping for CNN to join Jeff Zucker.
"WarnerMedia fired Zucker and Gollust in 2021, expressing shock at how close they were to the governor. It’s hard to square that shock with their using the relationship to lobby him," Tani wrote."The close ties between the governor and the network in the first few months of the Covid-19 pandemic extended far beyond the relationship between Andrew Cuomo and his brother.