Following last week’s revelation that Reliable Sources anchor Brian Stelter will leave the network and his show will be cancelled, CNN CEO Chris Licht told staff that “more changes” are on the way, according to The Daily Beast.

“This is a time of change, and I know that it’s unsettling,” Licht said of Stelter’s departure during a Friday employee meeting, adding, “There will be more changes and you might not understand it or like it all.”

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“I really appreciate all that Brian has done to build the media beat for CNN,” Licht said of Stelter, who has helmed the media analysis programme since 2013 and whose final show will run on Sunday. “He’s a great human being and a good person. I wish him all the best on his new venture.”

Licht, who replaced Jeff Zucker in May 2022, implored staffers to be patient.

“We will continue covering media stories, including on TV, when warranted,” Licht stated. “Give us some time, see how things develop, and then give us feedback.”

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A CNN representative confirmed Licht’s latest comments to the New York Post, which were first published by the Daily Beast, and added that they are comparable to past assertions made by the media.

The elimination of CNN’s Reliable Sources comes as the 11 a.m. Sunday show was performing poorly in the ratings. It also comes as part of a larger campaign by Licht to make CNN’s coverage more mainstream and less left-leaning. For example, as a relic of Zucker’s tenure at CNN, the Reliable Sources host has been forthright about his opinions on former President Donald Trump.

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The executive stated that the Reliable Sources newsletter will relaunch under reporter Oliver Darcy and that CNN’s coverage will “expand.”

Zucker, who boosted CNN’s opinion-based coverage, was fired due to a workplace romance with his lieutenant, Allison Gollust, who was also fired.

Licht, who was hired by CNN’s new parent firm Warner Bros. Discovery, has gradually made his presence known at the request of CEO David Zaslav and prominent shareholder John Malone.

Also read: Brian Stelter: Selective critic or bogeyman to conservatives?

Jeffrey Toobin, CNN’s scandal-plagued legal commentator, left the network last week. Prior to that, Licht implemented a slew of editorial policy modifications in an effort to boost CNN’s journalistic credibility. They included a reduction in the use of Breaking News on-air banners, the use of fewer partisan phrases to convey Trump’s phony electoral claims, and a reduction in partisan tone on air.