Longtime CNN executive Ken Jautz is exiting the network after 36 years.
“Ken has decided he is ready for a new chapter and will depart CNN at the end of the year,” CEO Mark Thompson told employees in a memo to staff on Wednesday. “It is difficult to capture the impact Ken has had on our brand.”
Jautz, who has held numerous leadership positions at CNN, HLN, CNNfn and German-language affiliate n-TV, has served as a bureau chief in Frankfurt and Berlin, an international special events producer, and a business development and distribution executive for Turner International in London.
Upon his return to New York, he served as CNN’s executive vice president of programming, HLN executive vice president, executive vice president of operations, head of the Newsource affiliate business and co-interim CEO following the ouster of Jeff Zucker in 2022.
Jautz covered many international stories that helped put CNN on the map, including the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union. During the First Gulf War, he was instrumental in enabling CNN to become the first network to broadcast live coverage from a warzone. He also helped organize coverage of 9/11, Hurricane Katrina and other domestic stories.
Additionally, Jautz played a critical role in CNN’s move from Time Warner Center to Hudson Yards in New York, and from CNN Center to Techwood in Atlanta. He also earned the News Emmys Chairman’s Award for his leadership in creating and implementing the protocols and procedures that made safe production possible at CNN during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Few people get the opportunity to help build a young brand into a global powerhouse,” Thompson’s memo concluded. “We are grateful to Ken for his years of dedication and service to CNN and wish him success, health and happiness in his next chapter.”
Following Jautz’s departure, John Courtney and John Davies’ operations groups and Paul Crum and Ed Stephen’s Newsource teams will report to David Leavy, while Guy Pepper’s graphics, design and lighting teams will move to Eric Sherling’s programming organization.
