Chris Wallace came to CNN to get deeply involved in reaching streaming audiences, and it looks like he’s getting it through Warner Bros. Discovery backed news channel will leave and still wants to do the same.
Wallace, a veteran commentator who has appeared on Fox News Channel’s “Fox News Sunday” and NBC News’ “Meet The Press,” told The Daily Beast on Monday that he planned to leave CNN, which he initially joined to participate in the scuttled CNN+ streaming operation, to try to reach people through an independent broadband venture.
CNN spokespeople could not be reached for immediate comment, but a person familiar with the matter said Wallace and the network did indeed part ways, three years after he initially signed on after leaving Fox News to do so. The typical anchor contract in the news industry is for a similar length of time.
The move could add a new chapter to the story of the 77-year-old journalist, who is the son of legendary “60 Minutes” correspondent Mike Wallace and has built a reputation for asking even heads of state tough, thorny questions. And it also illustrates the growing frenzy surrounding news streaming and so-called “creator” media, with better-known news personalities quitting — some not by choice — to test subscription-based video programs or independent newsletters. As younger news enthusiasts receive increasingly relevant information through social media and mobile video, both veteran journalists and the established media companies that employ them are reconsidering whether traditional models are still the best vehicle for them.
More to come…