*CNN boss Chris Licht is reportedly eyeing former NBA all-star Charles Barkley for a primetime show — and staffers are upset over it.
Barkley, a sports analyst for TNT, is reportedly in negotiations with the network to fill one of the vacant weeknight time slots, Fox News reports. Sources say Licht “is now in negotiations to bring Charles Barkley to CNN for a news-oriented primetime show.”
According to Page Six, CNN execs hope to bring Barkley on board to help boost the poor ratings. But insiders are said to be skeptical of Licht’s decisions.
“He’s taken so many swings and they’ve been big misses! It’s very sad how he’s taking this iconic brand and destroying it,” one source said.
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One source said a potential Barkley hire is “another disaster waiting to happen”
“People watch him to talk about sports, not politics and social justice issues and he’s expensive!” the skeptic pointed out.
The insider added, “They’ll be spending a lot of money on someone who’s not a real journalist. That’s not going to help morale when people have lost jobs there.”
Licht is also reportedly having talks with “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King for a primetime show. As The New York Post reports, Licht wants King to co-host a weekly show on CNN and it would not affect her day job at CBS, according to Puck News.
“Chris has talked to dozens and dozens of people to gauge interest in potential projects at CNN,” a rep for CNN told The Post.
Licht told the Los Angele Times that he is “in conversations with relevant individuals from the worlds of entertainment, sports and comedy who can bring fresh and unique perspectives to the news” to fill the network’s 9 p.m. slot.
As Puck reports, “The Barkley deal would allow Sir Charles to continue his role with TNT, just as the offer to King allows her to continue anchoring ‘CBS Mornings.’”
A CNN rep said, “You can find people to anonymously hate on every decision at every organization in the world. CNN is in talks with some incredible talent to reimagine primetime and we won’t be distracted.”
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