After the abrupt departure of CNN CEO Chris Licht earlier this week, those tasked with leading the organization in the interim have shared with staffers their understanding of the current climate.

In an email from the interim leadership team — which consists of Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley, Eric Sherling, and David Leavy — the group shared in a memo to staffers that they are “humbled by the task” ahead of them, while noting it can be an unsettling time for employees.

“We understand how disorienting and unsettling it can be when we become the news and these recent changes can be difficult to navigate, both personally and professionally,” the group of executives wrote. “So, we want to take a moment to thank you for the talent and dedication you have continued to bring to work every day.”

The group added that they are “committed to making this period as smooth as possible”.

Licht’s exit comes at an unfortunate time, as the network is already in preparation for the 2024 Republican presidential primary race and subsequent presidential election.

The CNN town hall featuring former vice president Mike Pence, moderated by Dana Bash, garnered a total viewership of 632,000 on Wednesday evening, an 81% decrease in viewership compared to CNN’s town hall with Donald Trump, which generated 3.3 million viewers.

According to The Wrap, among adults aged 25-54, the town hall attracted 128,000 viewers in the key cable demographic. Pence’s telecast did see a 4.5% increase from CNN’s town hall with former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley earlier that week, which had a viewership of 562,000.

Although Haley’s town hall achieved the highest demo viewership among cable news networks during its Sunday evening time slot, CNN’s town hall with Pence did not make significant headway against its competitors. CNN ranked third in both total viewership and demo viewership during the 9 p.m. time slot when the town hall aired.

In terms of total viewers, Fox News’ Hannity and MSNBC’s Alex Wagner Tonight, both airing in the 9:00 PM ET hour, outperformed CNN, with Fox News attracting 1.9 million viewers and MSNBC securing 1.3 million viewers, surpassing CNN’s total viewership by more than double.

This trend continued in the key cable demographic, as CNN’s demo viewership of 128,000 fell behind MSNBC’s 170,000 and Fox News’ 147,000 during the 9 p.m. hour.

The town hall had little impact on CNN’s overall primetime ratings for Wednesday. Fox News led the night with an average of 1.4 million viewers, followed by MSNBC with 1.1 million viewers. CNN secured third place with 509,000 total viewers in primetime.

In the key demo, Fox News ranked first with 157,000 viewers, MSNBC came in second with 142,000 demo viewers, and CNN obtained third place with 107,000 viewers in the demo.

NBC News anchor Chuck Todd is speaking candidly for the first time since announcing he would depart Meet The Press later this year.

During an interview with 77 WABC host Sid Rosenberg, Todd said he has lost the motivation to continue moderating the political affairs program after some happenings in his personal life.

“It’s been a combination of things. They’re both personal. I lost my two closest friends in the last nine months. One to cancer. And then my best adult friend about six weeks ago, died of a complication in surgery and they’re both about my age. We have kids around the same age — and particularly one friend — he and his wife — it was just, they were right there,” Todd admitted. “Their last kid was a freshman in college. And they were just — you’ve got that next phase of your life that’s going to be a little more yours, and all of that and just taken away from all of them.

“You throw all that together and you say ‘It’s been a good run’. And I just didn’t have the motivation. The motivation got sucked out of me. 2024 is the first time I’ve not looked forward to a presidential election. Throw it all together, and it just felt like the right time to pause.”

Todd continued by saying he has no regrets about making the decision.

“Ever since I made the decision so great. It is like a weight off the shoulders. And I say that I love Meet the Press. I’ve loved what I’ve done, but I also feel a sense of accomplishment and I’m ready for a new challenge. And if you throw all that in together, you do something the same thing for nine years, and at some point it becomes work. No matter how much you love it.”