CNN Honcho Chris Licht's Staff Believes He's Kicking Wolf Blitzer While He's Down, Shocked Over Boss' Recent Behavior
CNN honcho Chris Licht is facing scrutiny from staffers over the way he's treating demoted host Wolf Blitzer, with many believing the network's boss is kicking the TV veteran while he's down, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Licht's alleged mistreatment was evident last week when he attended a 30th-anniversary party for Blitzer's favorite restaurant Cafe Milano in Washington on Friday, forcing Wolf to arrive late to the soirée after serving as a last-minute fill-in for Chris' biggest blunder — primetime host Jake Tapper.
After demoting Blitzer from midterm election coverage on Tuesday and Wednesday, Licht called him in to save the failing network and anchor on Thursday and Friday's primetime slot in place of Tapper, who managed to skip his mandatory election obligations for an event at his alma mater, Dartmouth College, enraging CNN employees, reported Puck News.
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To make matters worse, Licht called Blitzer to take over for Tapper — who landed the primetime slot only one month ago above him — on the very night Wolf was expected to attend the anniversary of Cafe Milano, where he's become a beloved fixture.
Instead of spending the night whopping it up with the owners, cooks, and waitstaff — all of whom Blitzer has adopted as friends — the host was stuck in the studio while Licht and his chief of staff attended the Georgetown restaurant's festivities. Wolf finally attended the party, but he arrived later than expected due to his on-air commitment.
CNN employees looked at Licht's attendance as another slap in the face to Blitzer.
As RadarOnline.com reported, the new boss is facing scrutiny after failing to deliver the primetime ratings he promised when he promoted Tapper to the 9 PM slot. But CNN's lack of viewers isn't the only thing in the toilet.
Morale is said to be at an "all-time low" and only continuing to plummet after Licht revealed more layoffs are imminent for the struggling network as it looks to cut $100 million from the budget — proving no one's job is safe as the holidays approach.