CNN’s new chief says the network needs to recapture the “swagger and innovation” of its youth

By DAVID BAUDER
AP Media Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — CNN’s new chief executive, Mark Thompson, said in a strategy memo to his staff that the organization needs to recapture the “swagger and innovation” of its youth. The former executive at The New York Times and BBC has said little publicly since being named last fall to revive CNN’s flagging fortunes. But now he’s outlining an internal reorganization and is challenging his staff to look beyond television for revenue opportunities. He says CNN needs to follow its audience, and most young people get news on their smartphones. He says he’s looking for ways to create new revenue, through new products or subscriptions, but didn’t yet have firm plans to outline.