CNN anchor Chris Wallace is speaking out publicly for the first time about CNN+ shutting down.
Wallace was asked about his future plans during an event hosted by the Common Ground Committee on Sunday night.
“I am going to be fine. I’m in good shape, whether it’s at CNN or someplace else. Frankly, what I’m mostly concerned about right now – and very – is my team and hundreds of other people,” Wallace said.
He added, “There were 300 people, I think, that had jobs at CNN+. Some of them had left CNN to go to streaming, some of them had left other places, moved across the country, and so I think you’re seeing a lot of the anchors at CNN+ doing everything they can to protect the people that were working on their team.”
According to Wallace, his bosses have “come to the conclusion that having a narrow, niche product like a news streaming service doesn’t work.”
He continued, “I have absolutely no idea which is right and which is wrong, but the Discovery people are in charge and so they’ve made the decision.”
Warners Bros. Discovery, the parent company of the network, decided to shut down the streaming service on April 30, as IJR reported.
Chris Licht, chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide, said in a statement, “This is not a decision about quality; we appreciate all of the work, ambition and creativity that went into building CNN+, an organization with terrific talent and compelling programming.”
He added, “But our customers and CNN will be best served with a simpler streaming choice.”
The Washington Post noted Wallace’s show, “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?,” has aired four times a week since the launch of the streaming service.
His show will end along with the streaming service.