BREAKING: Anderson Cooper PROMOTED to Senior Anchor at CNN | HO

Anderson Cooper PROMOTED to Senior Anchor at CNN—What This Unexpected Move Means for the Future of the Network

In a shocking development that has the media world buzzing, Anderson Cooper has officially been promoted to CNN’s Senior Anchor. While the announcement came quietly, insiders are speculating that this move could signal major shifts behind the scenes at the troubled news giant.

With over two decades of groundbreaking reporting, Cooper’s new role solidifies his place as CNN’s leading voice. But why now? What does this mean for the future direction of CNN, and what’s really happening at the network? Get ready for a massive transformation in the world of news.

CNN’s Anderson Cooper rakes in $18M annually — as network faces spinoff amid ratings freefall: report

It’s the most busted salary in news.

CNN is reportedly paying anchor Anderson Cooper $18 million a year — an eye-popping sum that could be in the crosshairs when the ratings-challenged network is spun off by its debt-ridden parent company.

Cooper, the face of the network and host of its primetime show at 8 p.m., has an uncertain future following Monday’s stunning announcement by Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav about the looming split, according to the Puck newsletter.

Zaslav tapped WBD Chief Financial Officer Gunnar Wiedenfels to start looking for ways to cut costs when he takes over CNN and other cable assets as part of a new company called Global Networks.

“Gunnar news is not good,” one source told The Post on Thursday. “He is slash and burn.”

Anderson Cooper is reportedly raking in $18 million a year from CNN — even as the network faces brutal cost-cutting, cratering ratings and an uncertain future.

Anderson Cooper is reportedly raking in $18 million a year from CNN — even as the network faces brutal cost-cutting, cratering ratings and an uncertain future.

Getty Images for CNN

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Puck media writer Dylan Byers singled out Cooper as a possible target.

“Why, for instance, would Gunnar pay Anderson Cooper $18 million a year when Kaitlan Collins draws the same ratings at roughly a fifth of the salary?” Byers wrote.

According to the latest Nielsen ratings, “Anderson Cooper 360” drew 647,000 total viewers on Tuesday — or about $27 per viewer.

“The Source with Kaitlan Collins, which airs at 9 p.m., pulled in 829,000 viewers on Tuesday, according to Nielsen.

Cooper’s exact salary has never been reported and its not clear where Byers got the figure. The Post previously reported that the son of Gloria Vanderbilt is paid as much as $20 million a year.

A CNN spokesperson declined to comment Cooper’s salary.

“By the time Gunnar gets around to it, Anderson will likely have determined that he no longer wants to read the day’s news to less than a million people every night, either,” Byers wrote.

Gunnar Wiedenfels, Warner Bros. Discovery’s chief financial officer, is set to take over the company’s flailing cable assets, including CNN.

Gunnar Wiedenfels, Warner Bros. Discovery’s chief financial officer, is set to take over the company’s flailing cable assets, including CNN.
Warner Bros. Discovery

The CNN rep pushed back on Byers’ suggestion that high-salaried anchors face the ax amid anticipated restructuring under Wiedenfels.

“This is a complete fabrication. There is zero truth to this,” the spokesperson said.

The cable news pioneer — which touts itself as “The Most Trusted Name in News” — has hefty contracts but its ratings have plunged to historic lows in recent years.

During breaking news events, Fox News has often quadrupled CNN’s audience.

Fox News is a unit of Fox Corp — sister company to The Post’s corporate parent News Corp.

Warner Bros. Discovery under the leadership of CEO David Zaslav recently announced it would split into two companies.
AFP via Getty Images

Last fall, CNN denied raises to veteran anchors Jake Tapper and Wolf Blitzer as rank-and-file journalists braced for layoffs, as The Post reported.

Cooper reportedly earns a salary that is five times more than fellow prime time anchor Kaitlan Collins, who draws around the same number of viewers.

As part of the Warner Bros. Discovery breakup, Zaslav will keep HBO, Warner Bros. Studios and the Max streaming platform.

Last week, 59% of shareholders voted against his massive $51.9 million pay package for 2024 — a strong sign of investor frustration.

A $43 billion merger between Warner Bros. and Discovery in 2022 formed WBD.

The majority of its roughly $37 billion in debt load will be moved onto the books of Global Network.

With Alexandra Steigrad