Chaos looms over CNN

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CNN is on edge following a chaotic weekend of media reports and headlines suggesting CEO Chris Licht's days at the network are numbered.

Why it matters: The network was already under enormous stress following years of corporate mergers, product pivots and evaporating cable viewership.

By the numbers: CNN brought in roughly $750 million in profit last year, down from the $1 billion+ it brought in for each year between 2016 and 2020, the New York Times has reported and sources have told Axios.

The big picture: Morale at CNN is low, but the stress is bigger than conflicts over Licht.

What to watch: Warner Bros. Discovery executive David Leavy, a longtime confidant of CEO David Zaslav, was named chief operating officer of CNN last week, the day before The Atlantic published a revealing profile of Licht.

Disclosure: The author is a CNN contributor.