CNN's COO appointment signals strategic shift amidst industry changes.

CNN CEO Chris Licht has hired David Leavy, Warner Bros. Discovery's chief corporate affairs officer, as CNN's new chief operating officer. Leavy has worked closely with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav for over 15 years, and his hiring underscores the bond between Zaslav and Licht. Leavy's hiring will allow Licht to focus more on programming and editorial strategy and less on logistics. CNN's audience fell 16% in May from April in terms of both total primetime viewers and among adults aged 25 to 54, a prized demographic for advertisers, according to Nielsen data.