Is Anderson Cooper Getting Ready to Jump Ship?

In the past few days there have been reports that CNN is likely facing a difficult road ahead now that it is going to be part of a spin-off company tentatively titled Global Networks. Global Networks is basically all of the struggling cable channels which Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav is handing over to current CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels. And that’s significant because Wiedenfels has a reputation as a penny pincher.

That could be especially bad news for Anderson Cooper who is CNN’s top talent at the moment, pulling down $18 million a year.

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

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.

As of yesterday, that was all still informed speculation but today there are signs that Cooper is aware he’s skating on thin ice. He just signed a new representation deal with one of the top agents in Hollywood. His new agent has worked for George Clooney and Scarlett Johansson.

Anderson Cooper is one of TV’s best-known news anchors, but his new agent isn’t known for a strict specialty in representing talent tied to video journalism.

Cooper has aligned himself with CAA CEO Bryan Lourd, according to four people familiar with the matter, and the selection is being taken as a possible sign that the CNN mainstay may be looking to explore other opportunities as the economics of TV news become more shaky. Cooper has been with CNN since 2001, but over the years hosted a daytime program distributed under the aegis of CNN’s then-parent corporation, Time Warner; guest-hosted the game show “Jeopardy”; and was considered as a potential co-host for Kelly Ripa on Disney’s syndicated morning program “Live.” He also works as a correspondent for CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” which allows him to run the segments he reports for the newsmagazine on CNN…

It’s growing more difficult to be a veteran TV anchor. Many of the medium’s top faces are being asked to take salary cuts, and a bevy have exited in recent months. Hoda Kotb, the popular “Today” co-anchor, left her regular posts at the NBC morning franchise and now works as a contributor. CNN parted ways with the veteran Chris Wallace, and Fox News Channel cut ties with a long-standing anchor, Neil Cavuto. Other veterans who have left their mainstream media perches include Don Lemon, Chuck Todd, Jim Acosta and Alisyn Camerota.

And don’t forget Tucker Carlson and Joy Reid, both of whom now have shows on YouTube. Basically, there has been a lot of shaking up lately and Cooper is smart enough to realize he may be next. Unlike many of these folks, he still has options because whatever happens to CNN is probably still a year or so away.

Cooper’s shift in agencies has raised questions about whether the anchor may be preparing to expand his portfolio — or possibly exit the network altogether — as the traditional TV news model faces mounting financial pressures…

Industry observers told Variety that Cooper’s timing comes as networks across the board are cutting costs and rethinking their talent strategies.

Cooper’s bosses at media conglomerate Warner Bros. Discovery, which oversees CNN, is restructuring to separate its TV networks from its streaming and production businesses, a move analysts say could position the cable channels for a future sale…

In recent years, Cooper has grown his profile through a podcast on grief and his recurring New Year’s Eve broadcasts with Andy Cohen, which have become a hallmark of CNN’s holiday programming.

I could see Cooper moving to a more entertainment side of things while maybe keeping a foot in journalism. Or maybe he’s just looking for a gig at one of the networks like CBS. We’ll have to wait a bit longer to see but it does seem like this could be the end of another era for CNN.