How will the founder of The Awl make a mark at CNN?

The cable news network said Tuesday that it had hired Choire Sicha, the creator of the New York-based culture website which published daily ruminations on city weather under a motto of Be Less Stupid, to lead its new effort at editorial features.

Sicha, who most recently was editor at large at New York magazine and also led the Styles desk at The New York Times, will join CNN as svp of features editorial on May 19. The move marks the latest hire at the brand as it attempts to reorient itself in the online news ecosystem with an eye toward developing subscription products a big pivot for CNN, but one seen as a necessity as the channel looks past its linear TV roots. It also signals that the news outlet aims to compete on the Times turf. In its hiring release, the cable brand touted the editors work specifically in the paid subscriber arena. Sichawas instrumental in transforming Styles focus towards subscriber recruitment and engagement and served as the editorial partner of the Timess advertising department, the network said.

After layoffs were made in January about 6 percent of jobs, or200 staffers CNN has been stocking up on editorial talent, including many senior hires who had previously worked on its short-lived Jeff Zucker-era subscription product, CNN+. (That was a casualty of ATTs spinoff of parent Warner Bros. to Discovery in 2022.) In April, it rehired CNN+ alum Amanda Wills from The Wall Street Journal, as chief content officer, and a month earlier Nancy Han also rejoined the cable news outlet as svp, video editorial.

Overseeing CNNs business is former New York Times president Mark Thompson, who in January outlined his moves including investing $70 million in digital (Some of that moneys going in product and tech, but a lot is also going into new high-quality journalism and storytelling, he wrote in a memo). And there are also plans afoot for a lifestyle-oriented digital product as well as a new standalone streaming service for the news brand outside of its parent company Warner Bros. Discoverys Max platform.