CEO CNN's leader Mark Thompson. Picture courtesy of CNN By Mark Mwachiro --> Top of the Ticker : There may be some clarity regarding CNN head Mark Thompson ’s position once Paramount Skydance completes its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s current owner. All signs point to Thompson sticking around as CEO, as reports say he met with David Ellison , the CEO of the new conglomerate, and was asked to continue leading the news network.
In staying with CNN, Thompson is reportedly seeking assurances that the network will maintain its independence. It remains unclear how CNN and CBS News will function once they become corporate siblings.
During CNN’s Friday morning editorial call, Thompson did not address the alleged meeting with Ellison but did say, “I’m very committed to CNN and would like nothing better than to lead it into this new chapter in this new company if the circumstances are right.”
NEWS: Mark Thompson, the CEO of CNN, addresses reports of his future at Skydance on the network's 9 a.m. call (1/2)"I don’t want to add to the quite extensive speculation about me and my role at CNN and in the new company except really, like a cracked record, repeating what I’ve said in the past.”
— Ben Mullin (@benmullin.bsky.social) 2026-10-02T13:17:57.063Z
Meanwhile, the new name for the media behemoth uniting Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery was unveiled on Friday, and it will be simply known as Skydance. Ellison said in a social media post, “We wanted a name that would give the combined company an identity of its own while allowing Paramount and Warner Bros. — and all our extraordinary brands — to remain in the spotlight.”
What once was the peak, is now just the beginning.
Paramount and Warner Bros. shaped over a century of culture. By combining them, we aren't rewriting history — we're equipping these iconic studios with a more powerful engine. Together, we are Skydance: a creative-first home for… pic.twitter.com/uInLRY3IrE
— David Ellison (@davidellison) October 2, 2026
In other news, CNN is heading down to Fort Worth, Texas, partnering with Jubilee Media to host the CNN & Jubilee Town Hall with James Talarico on Wednesday, October 14, at 8 p.m. ET. CNN anchor Erin Burnett will moderate the live event before a live audience of Democrats, Republicans, and Independent voters.
CNN continues to expand its digital offerings, announcing a new streaming series Body Language by CNN, hosted by anchor and chief investigative correspondent Pamela Brown . Premiering exclusively on CNN All Access on Thursday, October 8, with four new episodes, the series looks at the uncomfortable, unspoken, and sometimes absurd health experiences that shape women’s lives.
Finally, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Brown will moderate CNN’s first Health Innovation Summit in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, October 21. The summit, which will stream on cnn.com , the CNN app, and CNN’s YouTube channel, will bring together timely conversations on how artificial intelligence and emerging technologies are reshaping healthcare and addressing some of the sector’s most urgent challenges.
New schedule: Fox Business Network is moving past Maria Bartiromo ’s departure , debuting a new weekday lineup on Monday, October 12, including a new three-hour morning show, Big Money in the Morning, starting at 6 a.m. ET, hosted by Dagen McDowell , Brian Brenberg , and Taylor Riggs , with Barron’s Josh Schafer . McDowell and Brenberg’s previous 6 p.m. ET p…