Gannett on strike, USA Today’s new EIC, CNN’s Licht ousted: TBN Ticker for June 9

Our weekly Friday ticker caps off a week pf big industry news. Gannett staff members have gone on strike to protest the leadership of CEO Mike Reed. Terence Samuel has been appointed USA Today’s next editor-in-chief, replacing Nicole Carroll, who departed earlier this year. And in what may be the media world’s biggest news so far this year, Chris Licht was fired Wednesday from CNN. Read on for more details.

A major chain reaction… In the largest strike action in Gannett’s history, staffers walked out to protest the leadership of CEO Mike Reed. The strikers represented 24 newspapers, including the Arizona Republic, Austin American-Statesman and Palm Beach Post. The protesting staff members want budget cuts and want shareholders to take a no-confidence vote against Reed. “[Journalists] need support and resources to make sure our communities have the local news needed to keep our democracy thriving,” Jon Schleuss, NewsGuild president, said in a statement. Gannett countered: “Our goal is to preserve journalism and serve our communities across the country as we continue to bargain in good faith to finalize contracts that provide equitable wages and benefits for our valued employees.” Read more here.

Meet Samuel: USA Today’s new EIC… USA Today has named Terence Samuel its next editor-in-chief, replacing Nicole Carroll, who departed earlier this year. He will begin on July 10. Currently, Samuel is VP and executive editor at NPR, where he has worked for six years. He joined as deputy managing editor and then served as managing editor for news. He joined The Washington Post in 2007 to help launch TheRoot.com as its deputy editor and then served as deputy national political editor of the Post. He has also worked at the U.S. News & World Report, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Roanoke Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer and American Prospect. Be sure to congratulate Samuel on Twitter.

CNN CEO Licht is out… After a turbulent 13-month career as CEO and chairman of CNN and a scathing profile in The Atlantic, Chris Licht was fired on Wednesday morning. David Zaslav, CEO of parent company Warner Bros. Discovery wrote in a memo to staff, “I have known Chris for many years and have enormous respect for him, personally and professionally. This job was never going to be easy, especially at a time of great disruption and transformation, and Chris poured his heart and soul into it. He has a deep love for journalism and this business and that has been evident throughout his tenure.” Various reactions came in after the news got out, which can be read on Talking Biz News. Licht added, “This was an exciting but incredibly challenging assignment and I learned a lot over the past 13 months. I’ve been lucky enough to have had a successful, fulfilling career and I look forward to my next chapter. I wish the team at CNN the very best, always.”

Axios nabs Gannett’s Varn… Kathryn Varn, a Florida enterprise reporter at Gannett | USA Today Network, will leave to join Axios Tampa Bay. Previously, Varn worked at The Tampa Bay Times for more than six years holding various roles, including city government reporter, public safety reporter and criminal justice reporter. She interned at The New York Times, The Miami Herald, Tampa Bay Times and Orlando Sentinel. A graduate of the University of Florida, you can congratulate Varn on Twitter.

NY Times taps Meko to cover criminal justice…Hurubie Meko, who joined The New York Times Metro as part of our 2022 class of fellows, has joined the staff as a reporter to cover criminal justice. Before joining The Times, Meko covered gun violence at The Kansas City Star through Report for America, and was a data reporter in Lancaster, Pa.

Enninful’s new role at Vogue… Edward Enninful is now editorial advisor of British Vogue and global creative and cultural advisor of Vogue, where he will “continue to contribute to the creative and cultural success of the Vogue brand globally while having the freedom to take on broader creative projects,” Enninful said. Currently, he serves as the European editorial director of Vogue and editor-in-chief of British Vogue. “To optimize my increased global responsibilities, and to give British Vogue the new focus it will deserve, we saw the opportunity to hire, in concert with our global editorial structure, a head of editorial content for British Vogue,” he added. Enninful has also contributed extensively to American Vogue, Italian Vogue and Japanese Vogue.

Se habla job cuts at CNN… CNN en Español is in plans to cut back on “linear programming to focus on a realignment to a “digital-first operation,” move its production to Mexico City and lay off employees,” reported Media Moves. CNNE SVP and GM Cynthia Hudson wrote in a memo, “We will also be investing in CNNE’s digital platform, safeguarding CNNE’s newsgathering strength in the U.S. and utilizing our network-wide investments in content management to create a greatly enhanced digital user experience. This afternoon I informed the CNN en Español team about these changes, which will impact some of our colleagues.” Read more here.

Hammel joins ABC’s Tucson TV station…KGUN-TV Ch. 9, an ABC affiliate in Tucson has hired Mikenzie Hammel as a multimedia reporter. Recently, she was a midday intern at NBC station KPNX-TV Ch. 12 in Mesa, Ariz. Hammel has worked as a digital reporter and broadcast journalist at Cronkite News, a news division of Arizona PBS. She also held the posts of editor, editor in chief, and executive editor at The Downtown Devil, an online publication that provides news and opinions to downtown ASU students and the greater downtown Phoenix community. You can congratulate Hammel on Twitter.

Arkansas TV station names Mulkey sports director… Meridith Mulkey has taken on the role of sports director at KHBS-TV Ch. 40, an ABC and CW Plus affiliate in Fort Smith, Ark. Recently, she served as a sports anchor and reporter. Previously, Mulkey was a sports anchor and reporter at WTVY-TV Ch. 4, a CBS station in Dothan, Ala. Mulkey graduated from the University of Oklahoma. You can congratulate Mulkey on Twitter.

Another sports journalism move… Hearst Television has tapped Angel Salcedo to serve as a sports reporter. Recently, he held the post of on-air reporter. Prior to joining Hearst Television in May 2021, Salcedo was at WEBN-TV, Emerson College’s student-run broadcast news organization in Boston. He interned at WGBH-TV Ch. 2, PBS member station in Boston. You can congratulate Salcedo on Twitter.

An SEO editor jumps to MailOnline… Shanique Joseph has joined MailOnline as senior SEO editor. Recently, she held the same post at Newsweek. Before that, Joseph was an SEO editor at both Reach plc and The Sun Online, where she also worked as an SEO reporter. She also served as a TV and showbiz reporter at The Express Online. She interned at Daily Mirror, Marie Claire, Time Inc. and Immediate Media Co. Joseph has a B.A. from City, University of London and can be reached via Twitter.

Journal-Constitution names Durhams ME of news… The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that on Monday, it named Sharif Durhams as managing editor of news. A veteran journalist whose career includes leadership positions at The Washington Post and CNN, “Durhams will start in his new AJC role later this month. At the AJC, Durhams will oversee the crime and public safety team, politics, education, local government, business and climate and environment coverage. A native of Raleigh, North Carolina, and a University of North Carolina Tar Heel, Durhams said he is also excited to return to the South.”

Tribune’s Smith Richards departs for ProPublica… Jennifer Smith Richards will join ProPublica’s Midwest newsroom on June 14. Since 2021, she has been a ProPublica Distinguished Fellow. Commenting on her appointment, Smith Richards said, “I’ve been privileged to work with ProPublica while at the Tribune for several years and have been so impressed by the impact and reach of this organization’s work. I’m thrilled to join the Midwest team and eager to keep holding the powerful to account.” Recently, she was at the Chicago Tribune.

Klein joins the Guardian board… Guardian Media Group has appointed Debbie Klein to its board as a director. She will start in September. Klein has more than 20 years of experience in the media and advertising industry. Recently, she served as group chief marketing, corporate affairs and people officer at Sky. She has also worked at marketing services agency Engine Group, Saatchi & Saatchi and Nielsen. She is also a non-executive director of Nationwide Building Society. “I am delighted to be joining the Guardian — a global news and media brand which I have long admired. The Guardian’s journalism, purpose and brand are widely respected and recognized the world over, and its digital innovation is impressive,” Klein said. “I look forward to supporting the organization as part of the board during its next phase.”

CNBC makes a political hire… Emily Wilkins will join CNBC’s Washington, D.C. bureau as a correspondent to cover Congress. An award-winning journalist, Wilkins joins from Bloomberg Government, where she was a congressional correspondent. CNBC senior VP Dan Colarusso said, “Emily is an ideal addition to our DC bureau that consistently distinguishes itself with sharp analysis and breaking news coverage on everything from this year’s banking crisis to trade wars to cybercrime. Her expertise will be especially important as we expect tech regulation, antitrust policies and, of course, budget wrangling to continue to lead the CNBC news cycle. Her first day at the bureau will be June 20  and, as is her habit, she’s likely to bike into the office from her home in DC.”

STAT News hires Merelli as a GA reporter… STAT News has hired Quartz reporter Annalisa Merelli as a general assignment reporter. She has been at Quartz for nine years, starting as a reporter on the Ideas team. Merelli also Introduced coverage of women’s rights, public health, and inequality, and she reported from six countries through a mix of features, analysis, and news. She was an editor for Narratively and UN Global Pulse. She has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Bologna.

Mariam Ahmed is Talking Biz News’ content correspondent. For tips on the Friday TBN Ticker, email her at mariam@talkingbiznews.com or connect with her on LinkedIn.