CNN primetime star Abby Phillip makes major decision about her future at the network

CNN has locked in prime-time anchor Abby Phillip with a new contract as the network braces for a possible takeover by David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance, according to a report.Phillip, who presides over the 10 p.m.panel show “NewsNight,” is the latest of CNN’s three prime-time hosts to secure her position at the network, Variety reported, citing three people familiar with the matter.Her deal comes at a precarious moment for CNN, whose fate is tied up in Paramount’s proposed $110 billion acquisition of parent Warner Bros.

Discovery — a megadeal that has cleared federal antitrust scrutiny but is being challenged by a dozen states.The new pact gives Phillip contractual protections even if a new owner decides to shake up CNN’s schedule, according to Variety.CNN’s other prime-time stars are also locked in.Anderson Cooper, who occupies the 8 p.m.

slot, renewed his contract last year, while 9 p.m.host Kaitlan Collins has several years remaining on her deal, the outlet reported.The network negotiated the contracts as they came up rather than as part of a coordinated effort to tie the hands of an incoming owner, according to Variety.Nevertheless, the agreements could make a sweeping prime-time overhaul more expensive.

CNN could move its anchors to different assignments, but their contracts provide guarantees over compensation if changes are made, according to the report.The talent deals come amid mounting uncertainty inside CNN over how Ellison might run the cable news network if Paramount succeeds in buying WBD.Some employees are worried that Bari Weiss, the editor-in-chief of CBS News, could be handed authority over CNN, Variety reported.No such management structure has been announced.Weiss, the co-founder of digital publication The Free Press, was installed as CBS News editor-in-chief last year and reports directly to Ellison.Variety reported that some CNN staffers also fear a new owner could make personnel or programming decisions with an eye toward p...