Alex MacCallum kicked off her new role as CNN’s EVP of Digital Products and Services on Monday with a staff memo touting her plans to build out digital offerings – a “boilerplate” message that was received with a “collective shrug,” a person with knowledge of the network’s internal communications tells TheWrap.
In the memo, MacCallum said that while “CNN’s journalism is essential,” the network needs to “build value in new and different ways to bring audiences our talent, our analysis, our journalism, and our experience.”
“Doing new and different things and building new and different products means taking risks and changing the way we work,” MacCallum continued. “We can build new, compelling products. We can think boldly. And we can partner and work cross-functionally across this great organization.”
“I am so excited to dig in and do all these things with you together,” McCallum concluded.
An individual with knowledge of the situation says the memo was met with a “collective shrug” from employees at CNN. “It was just boilerplate stuff,” the source added. The insider said “the only takeaway was ‘partner and work cross-functionally’ – how the hell is that going to work?”
A CNN spokesperson said in a Monday statement: “TheWrap’s story published three hours into Alex’s tenure fails to accurately reflect the sentiment of the organization on her first day. We are thrilled she is here and ready to get to work.”
Just last week, CNN CEO Mark Thompson presented staffers with a five-part plan to restructure the network under his leadership, according to an internal memo. Thompson signaled a more aggressive push to achieve the digital transformation of CNN he was hired to carry out.
The source added that both MacCallum and Thompson are talking about “taking risks” and working together across departments – including linear TV, CNN Worldwide, and CNN U.S. – plus cnn.com and CNN Max.
“But nobody knows how that is going to happen. It will be a herculean task because people are used to working how they work. Mark and Alex haven’t explained how this is going to work,” the insider added.
MacCallum worked under Thompson for several years at The New York Times and oversaw the outlet’s creation of the popular Cooking and Games subscription products. She also served as CNN’s global head of product and general manager of CNN+ until July 2022.
Read the full memo from MacCallum to CNN staff below:
Hi everyone,
Today is my first day back at CNN, and I couldn’t be more excited.
As many of you know, I’ve worked at several news organizations, including this great one, and have always been amazed and impressed by CNN. You are all committed to high-quality journalism every day. The depth of CNN’s reporting, the immediacy of the turnaround during breaking news, and the excellent storytelling across video, text, audio, visuals, and emerging platforms are impressive and exhilarating.
I have dedicated my career to building and innovating to ensure that the business of journalism remains healthy and that quality news can support the functioning of our democracy and the society we live in. We are in a moment of change in our industry, and it’s an honor and a great responsibility to have the chance to help CNN adapt for the future.
CNN’s journalism is essential. People around the world trust CNN, and we must continue to bring them our excellent coverage at all hours, wherever they are. That means we need to build and value new and different ways to bring audiences our talent, our analysis, our journalism, and our experience.
Doing new and different things and building new and different products means taking risks and changing the way we work. I’ve seen firsthand that CNN can do both with excellence. We can build new, compelling products. We can think boldly. And we can partner and work cross-functionally across this great organization.
I am so excited to dig in and do all these things with you together.
Alex MacCallum
EVP Digital Products and Services
