NEWSCNN Shake-Up: Top Executives Exit as Tensions Rise Over Cost-Cutting Measures
Top CNN execs have exited amid rising tensions over cost-cutting moves.
July 11 2025, Published 6:20 p.m. ET
Two high-ranking CNN executives are making their exit from the beleaguered network, stirring further anxiety as the company braces for aggressive cost-cutting ahead of a significant corporate spinoff.
Laura Bernardini, the vice president of domestic news, and Jacque Smith, vice president for digital video, are reportedly leaving CNN, according to Oliver Darcy's Status newsletter. Bernardini boasts 28 years of service with the network, while Smith contributed 17 years before her departure.
Laura Bernardini, VP of domestic news and Jacque Smith, VP of digital video, pictured.
The network's leadership also plans to implement strict measures by slashing expense accounts starting July 1. Employees will need to submit receipts for travel and source meetings, per Status' report.
Neither CNN nor Warner Bros. Discovery has commented on the situation.
Gunnar Wiedenfels, Warner Bros. Discovery’s CFO, is known to be a strict cost-cutter within the industry.
This staff exodus aligns with rising anxiety in the newsroom as many brace for yet another upheaval amid CNN's transition out of parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, where it will merge with other legacy cable networks.
Gunnar Wiedenfels, WBD's CFO and a notorious cost-cutter, will lead the newly minted company, dubbed Global Networks. Despite his reputation, Wiedenfels issued an optimistic memo to staff, calling himself a "deep admirer of CNN" who consumes its content "around the clock," as noted by Status. However, the email's subject line, "Excitement for the Future," did little to ease the staff's nerves.
Staff members have expressed concerns about being relegated to the so-called "Sh-- Co." wing of WBD.
"Everyone is wary and tired. There is so much change that we don't understand what direction the company is going in," one CNN staffer told Darcy.
Another remarked, "There are people who think CNN won't exist at some point. Hard to believe that will happen, but there are people who feel that way."
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Anderson Cooper is a veteran CNN anchor known for his sharp reporting.
CNN's leader, Mark Thompson, attempted to bolster morale in a recent memo, affirming, "We hold our destiny in our own hands… If we reinvent CNN to meet the challenges of the future… we'll succeed in all scenarios. If we don't, we'll suffer the same fate as any legacy company that fails to respond to a changing world."
Amid these changes, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, who reportedly earns $18 million per year, has hired a new agent, fueling speculation about his potential departure from the network.
Global Networks, which will include TBS, HGTV, and TNT, marks CNN's third parent company in just seven years. Under former Warner Media leadership, Jeff Zucker and Jason Kilar launched CNN+, which was abruptly shut down a few weeks after its debut by WBD CEO David Zaslav following their $43 billion merger in 2022.
David Zaslav is the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery
To prepare for its streaming future, WBD is investing $100 million into a new CNN streaming product set to launch this fall, reportedly re-hiring some executives from the recently shuttered CNN+.
"Global Networks has a robust portfolio and is set up for success. Across many regions and teams internally, there is excitement for the opportunities of Global Networks," a source familiar with the situation shared with The Post.
WBD is keeping HBO, Warner Bros. Pictures, and Max under a new division known as Streaming & Studios.
