DiscoveryWarnerMedia has not yet closed the deal, but signs indicate that CNN cable news station may soon be rebranded.

Discovery named Chris Licht, the new CNN head, on Monday. The resignation of Jeff Zucker earlier in the month, former network head, was reluctant. He had not disclosed a working relationship with Allison Gollust (CNN’s marketing head), and chose to resign. According to an internal memo from CNBC, Licht, who will be joining CNN next May, if Discovery merges with WarnerMedia, is expected to leave CBS “in a few weeks.”

People familiar with this matter say that Licht was the only Discovery CEO David Zaslav contacted about replacing Zucker. The people who spoke on condition of anonymity said that there wasn’t any bakeoff among the executives involved or outside firms hired in this decision.

Zaslav and Licht are close friends for more than a decade. Licht regularly attends Zaslav’s party at his Hamptons home.

Chris has been a friend and admirer for 15+ years. I strongly believe that he will be the right person to run CNN Global, part of Warner Bros. Zaslav released a statement confirming Discovery.

Licht’s reputation as a television industry turnaround specialist has earned him a good name. Licht, who was executive producer on “Morning Joe” in 2007, joined CBS to revive CBS’s morning news program. struggled with low ratings and lack of focus. He became the executive producer for “In 2016,”The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” again helping boost ratings.

Mosheh Oinounou is a media consultant and worked alongside Licht from 2011-2016 as part of the team responsible for relaunching “CBS This Morning.”

Zaslav isn’t making any comments public about his displeasure at CNN under Zucker. However, John Malone, a Discovery shareholder and board member told CNBC’s David Faber last November that he’d prefer CNN return to its 1990s glory.

Malone said, “I want to see CNN return to the journalism that it started with” said to Faber.

Zucker: appeared to be in a position to have a major role at a combined Discovery-WarnerMedia prior to his surprise resignation, steered CNN into a mix of hard news, commentary from anchors such as Don Lemon and Jake Tapper,Shows that are lighter on weekends, like “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy” and “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown.”

Licht is open to CNN personalities being themselves. However, he won’t be afraid to let talent know what they want to hear. Ryan Kadro also worked at CBS, and took over CBS This Morning when Licht left.

Kadro gave credit to Licht for getting Colbert “more authentic,” and cited the November 2016 episode, which aired after Donald Trump’s election win as the pivotal moment in the show’s identity. Kadro also credited Licht with choosing Gayle Kings as the “CBS This Morning” co-host, even though she had never been a news anchor before.

Kadro replied, “That’s all Chris.”

Along with news division chairman Jeff Fager and CBS president David Rhodes, Licht focused “CBS This Morning” on hard news rather than softer features. The show was hosted by King, Charlie Rose, and Norah Ol’Donnell. It saw significant ratings growth on NBC’s Today and ABC’s Good Morning America by 2016.

Zucker also made it a point to get CNN’s employees to reveal their true selves. That resulted reporters calling out Trump’s lies. increasingly assertive waysThroughout his tenure in office.

According to one of his former colleagues, Zucker is a role-model for Licht. CNN employees could be encouraged by this. have vociferously supported Zucker in recent weeks and praised his leadership.

Kadro said that Licht immediately began a listening tour with CBS staff when he arrived to learn what was successful and what was not. An important aspect of this may prove to be especially valuable at CNN right away, considering the recent losses of Zucker, Gollust and others. Some CNN staffers saw Gollust internally as a possible replacement for Zucker.

Licht wrote an email to the current CNN staff saying that he planned to listen a lot. Together, we’ll double down on the good stuff and swiftly eliminate the bad.

Still, Licht made a point to put the word “news” in all capital letters in a memo he wrote to CNN staff Monday — seemingly echoing Malone’s comments that CNN should redirect toward straight news coverage.

Licht sent a memo to CNN employees, saying that “I’m sure you have many questions.” Licht wrote in a memo to CNN staff, “Perhaps your biggest question is: How will CNN Change?” Truth be told, I do not know the answer. David Zaslav, part of Warner Bros. has given me a simple directive. I want to make sure CNN is the global leader for NEWS. Discovery.”

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