CNN Hires Amanda Wills as Chief Content Officer

CNN announced Monday it is bringing back Amanda Wills to fill the new position of Group Senior VP, Chief Content Officer. The media exec will guide CNN’s digital and TV news operation and help redefine “the way we explain the world,” the channel said in a statement on her hiring.

Wills returns to CNN after a five year run at the news channel from 2017-2022 in which she served as a breaking news executive producer, as well as the VP of content programming for CNN+, the streaming service that shut down after one month. Since exiting CNN in 2022, Wills has been at the Wall Street Journal overseeing video as the Chief Content Officer.

She will report to Virginia Moseley, CNN’s executive editor of editorial, and will start on April 14.

“Wills will drive CNN’s digital transformation and innovation in storytelling for both developing and ongoing stories and be responsible for leveraging audience insights to deliver content across CNN’s TV, digital and streaming platforms,” the company said in a statement. “With a focus on distinctive, elevated and future-forward journalism, Wills will be integral in partnering with CNN’s product teams on the company’s digital transformation and future experiences.”

Wills returns to CNN after the channel saw its ratings take a big hit following the 2024 presidential election. While viewership has picked up a bit since President Trump’s inauguration in January, CNN’s primetime viewership is down 54% from Feb. 2017 and down 3.5% since February of last year. CNN slashed 200 jobs earlier this year and made some changes to its TV lineup in January as it is looking to win back viewers and readers for Trump’s second term.

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