Yet another senior CNN employee is fleeing the station after dismal election results – this one is already 17 years old.
The network confirmed the report of the departure of 72-year-old Gloria Borger on Wednesday, saying goodbye to the longtime political analyst.
At the time of writing, nothing is known about the journalist’s future plans, as she has already worked at CBS News and CNBC.
Previously, the Westchester native worked as an editor and columnist for US News & World Report magazine. She also worked as a reporter for Newsweek.
Her departure comes days after CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota abruptly resigned for the final time after a decade with the network.
Weeks earlier, executives cut ties with veteran Chris Wallace, who insiders had said days earlier would likely have taken a pay cut had he decided to stay. The 77-year-old reportedly earned $7 million a year.
Borger’s salary, on the other hand, remains unknown, but she had recently scaled back her responsibilities at CNN, causing her fewer on-air appearances to be noticed by viewers.
Just last month, an explosive new report from Puck saw insiders claim that network executives are on the verge of a number of major layoffs – all aimed at salvaging the network’s flagging reputation.
Yet another senior CNN journalist is fleeing the station after dismal election results – this time 17-year veteran political analyst Gloria Borger
The development is the latest for the cable news network, which is fighting to remain profitable in a declining industry — and is reportedly on the verge of some major layoffs.
Other reports, meanwhile, have indicated that other top stars such as Wolf Blitzer and Jake Tapper have both also been denied pay rises – as sources told Puck in November that the cuts could lead to high-paid staff being laid off and causing staffers to worry.
While there’s no word yet on who it could be, Anderson is among CNN’s highest-paid stars – who rakes in $20 million a year – Erin Burnett, who earns $6 million, and rising star Kaitlan Collins, who collects $3 million.
“In the coming months, I am told, CNN will implement another round of layoffs that will impact hundreds of employees across the organization,” reporter Dylan Byers wrote at the time, referring to CNN’s recent layoffs of 100 people during the summer.
The new round of layoffs, insiders say, will be more focused on the production side of things, after which reporters and correspondents are expected to pick up the thread.
Meanwhile, Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav reiterated Discovery, last week reportedly announced long-promised plans to restructure the media company – to solve any problems amid dwindling cable assets.
The media conglomerate formed after its $43 billion merger two years ago will split into two divisions: one focused on streaming and new content, and another focused on cable channels such as CNN.
Moreover, the latter sector is in the midst of a historic decline and will likely be replaced by the former.
Borger, after joining the network in 2007, is seemingly the latest victim, with her experience more in line with the second sphere of influence.
Her departure comes days after CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota, 58, abruptly resigned for the final time after a decade with the network
Weeks earlier, executives cut ties with veteran Chris Wallace, who just days earlier, insiders said, would likely have taken a pay cut if he had decided to stay. The 77-year-old reportedly earned $7 million a year
Borger’s salary, on the other hand, remains unknown, but she had recently scaled back her responsibilities at CNN, with her fewer on-air appearances noticed by viewers.
When it comes to cable assets, the company’s revenues continue to falter as consumers cancel expensive cable packages in favor of streaming.
Zaslav’s announcement, meanwhile, sent shares soaring 15 percent, paving the way for the media boss’s first-ever sale of the parent company’s shares since the massive merger.
But Zaslav’s strategy, which was broadcast last Thursday to employees of all the company’s subsidiaries at their annual holiday party in Manhattan, remains largely unknown.
As it stands, Warner-Discovery’s annual revenues are largely generated by its declining cable division, now led by CNN.
However, the network has seen its rating drop by more than 20 percent since the ouster last August of already fading leader Chris Licht, whose tenure dropped CNN from the most-watched cable news network to one of the least-watched.
In 2016, when it was led by now-ousted leader Jeff Zucker, it was the most-watched network overall — a distinction that Fox News now holds.
At the time, CNN averaged 13.3 million viewers in primetime. Today there are only about 800,000.
Right-leaning hosts like Laura Ingraham, Jesse Watters, Sean Hannity and Greg Gutfeld, meanwhile, average 2.8 million in the same time slots — while other non-progressives like Joe Rogan use platforms like podcasts to make their points.
At the time of writing, nothing is known about the journalist’s future plans, as she has already served stints at CBS News and CNBC. In a statement to the Daily Beast, Borger said she was looking forward to “spending time without the supervision of a TV schedule.”
The architect of the layoffs is CEO Mark Thompson, who was hired late last summer to right a sinking ship after predecessor Chris Licht’s failures.
Warner-Discovery CEO David Zaslav is the one pulling Thompson’s strings. He announced plans to split the media conglomerate into two parts, one focused on streaming and the other on cable. The latter is in the midst of a universal struggle; the other is emerging
As for Borger, Term received news from CNN that the political correspondent was leaving.
The news was first reported by the Status newsletter, days after Borger took to social media to congratulate her young colleague Collings on her new role as chief White House correspondent.
In a statement to the Daily Beast‘, Borger further confirms the development. ‘My first task is to spend time that is not governed by a TV schedule.
“I will always watch CNN and cheer,” she added.
The architect of the threatened layoffs was also named by insiders as CEO Mark Thompson, who was hired by Zaslav at the end of last summer.
Thompson’s strategy when it comes to CNN, charged with righting a sinking ship, remains to be seen — beyond reports of layoffs early next year.