More Than 20 Disgruntled CNN Employees Say ‘Things Have Never Been Worse’ Under New Boss Chris Licht, Claims Ex-Network Staffer

At least 20 employees currently working at CNN believe “things have never been worse” under the leadership of new boss Chris Licht, RadarOnline.com has learned.

In a shocking development to come as the struggling news network continues to be plagued by plummeting ratings, a series of disorienting shakeups and low company morale, a silent majority of workers at CNN are reportedly losing faith in Licht as his abrupt decisions continue to backfire in everyone’s faces.

That is the revelation made by Dylan Byers, a journalist who previously worked at CNN before moving on to Puck News.

According to Byers, at least 20 CNN employees – including “on-air talent” and “rank-and-file staff” – have reached out to express their disapproval in the company since Licht officially took over for his predecessor, Jeff Zucker, in May.

As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Licht’s takeover as CEO and Chairman of CNN resulted in a series of layoffs, budget cuts and shakeups that saw high-profile primetime anchors moving to new morning shows and afternoon hosts being shifted to primetime slots.

But despite the layoffs and shakeups, the struggling network has failed to gain any substantial new viewership.

In fact, the network’s newest program pet projects put in place under Licht – including Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace, CNN Tonight with Jake Tapper and the recently launched CNN This Morning – have all received abysmal ratings and landed in last place when compared to CNN’s competitors at Fox News Channel and MSNBC.

Chris Wallace’s program only garnered 44,000 viewers when it premiered in September, Tapper is set to return to his 4 PM timeslot after it was found “he isn’t a primetime star” and CNN This Morning – despite being helmed by the likes of Don Lemon, Poppy Harlow and Kaitlyn Collins – failed to even reach 400,000 viewers during its inaugural episode on Tuesday morning.

Media executives, behind closed doors, have reportedly described Licht’s recent series of failures as “brutal,” “humiliating,” and “abject disasters,” while the network’s own employees are seemingly growing ever increasingly at odds with the man put in place to save the struggling network from crossing over the borderline into obscurity.

Even more shocking are reports Licht plans to enact another series of layoffs and budget cuts come the end of the year in an effort to combat “amplified economic headwinds” as David Zaslav – the president and CEO of CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery – does the same at a corporate level.

“There is widespread concern over the global economic outlook, and we must factor that risk into our long-term planning,” Licht wrote in a company memo issued last week. “All this together will mean noticeable change to this organization.”

“That, by definition, is unsettling,” he continued. “These changes will not be easy because they will affect people, budgets, and projects.”

Licht’s recent memo only startled staffers and on-air talent further, with one CNN employee not only claiming “morale is at an all-time low,” but that it is “worse than it has ever been” behind the scenes at the floundering news network.