Alex Dudov
Ever wondered who's calling the shots at one of the world's most recognizable news networks? Mark Thompson runs CNN today, and his path to the corner office reads like a masterclass in media leadership. From his first BBC paycheck to commanding multi-million dollar salaries, Thompson's story shows what it takes to reach the top of global journalism.
Who Is the CEO of CNN and Where It All Started
Mark Thompson is the guy running CNN right now—he took over as Chairman and CEO back in October 2023. But his story starts way before that, back in the late 1970s when he was just another Oxford grad trying to break into journalism. Thompson landed his first gig at the BBC in 1979 as a trainee producer, making roughly £5,000-6,000 a year (about $8,000-10,000 back then). Not exactly glamorous money, but it got his foot in the door at one of the world's most respected broadcasters. That entry-level position turned out to be the launching pad for an incredible career that would eventually put him at the helm of multiple media giants.
Climbing the Ladder at BBC
Thompson didn't waste any time making his mark at the BBC. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, he worked his way up from producer to editor, taking on bigger responsibilities with each move. By the mid-90s, he'd become Controller of BBC2 and was pulling in around £100,000 annually. The real turning point came in 2004 when he snagged the top job—Director-General of the BBC.
At just 47, he was the youngest person to run the place in decades. The position came with a salary north of £600,000 per year (roughly $1 million), and he was suddenly managing an organization with a £4 billion annual budget. During his eight years leading the BBC, Thompson pushed hard into digital platforms and expanded the broadcaster's global footprint, proving he could handle the transition from traditional to digital media.
The New York Times: Thompson's Biggest Win
If you're asking who is the CEO of CNN and wondering how he got there, you've got to understand his New York Times chapter. Thompson took over as President and CEO of The New York Times Company in 2012, and that's when his compensation really jumped—we're talking $6-10 million annually when you add up salary, bonuses, and stock awards. What he did at the Times between 2012 and 2020 was nothing short of remarkable.
When he arrived, the paper was struggling to figure out digital subscriptions. By the time he left, they had over 5 million digital subscribers and had basically rewritten the playbook for how newspapers make money online. The company's value shot up during his tenure, and Thompson became the poster child for successful media transformation. Those were probably his peak earning years, and they cemented his reputation as the executive who could actually make premium journalism profitable in the internet age.
Running CNN: What He Makes Now
These days, Thompson's leading CNN with an estimated pay package somewhere between $8-12 million annually, though the exact numbers aren't public. He stepped into a tough situation—CNN's been dealing with ratings struggles and needed someone who could figure out its future in a world where people get news everywhere except cable TV.
His job is basically to do for CNN what he did for the Times: build a digital strategy that works, get streaming right, and make sure CNN stays relevant when fewer people are watching traditional television. At 66, he's still pulling down one of the biggest paychecks in broadcast news, which tells you how much faith Warner Bros. Discovery has in his ability to turn things around.
How Thompson Thinks About Success
Thompson's pretty vocal about what's made him successful, and it boils down to a few key ideas. First, he's all about embracing change instead of fighting it—that's why he went all-in on digital at both the BBC and the Times when other executives were dragging their feet. He genuinely believes that great journalism is worth paying for, even when there's free content everywhere. That conviction drove his subscription strategies and proved that quality can beat free if you do it right.
Thompson also thinks long-term, which means he's willing to make investments that won't pay off for years. He's not chasing quarterly earnings—he's building sustainable businesses. And he's big on letting journalists do their thing while keeping the business side tight and disciplined. His whole philosophy is that traditional media companies can win in the digital world, but only if they're willing to completely reimagine how they operate.
What's Next for CNN
Thompson's already shaking things up at CNN with major restructuring and bigger bets on digital and streaming. If his track record means anything, expect CNN to push hard on subscription models while still taking advertising money. He's done this before—turn a legacy media brand into something that works for people who've never had a cable subscription. It's his toughest challenge yet, and his paycheck depends on pulling it off. Can he prove that CNN can reinvent itself for a generation that gets news from their phones instead of their TVs? That's the multi-million dollar question he's trying to answer right now.
Alex Dudov
