Former CNN boss Jeff Zucker could be poised to make his return in a big way if Warner Bros. Discovery decides to offload the troubled cable television network as some have been speculating.
According to a New York Post report, sources say that Zucker “has emerged as a possible suitor” despite stepping down under pressure last year after it was revealed that he had an undisclosed relationship with Allison Gollust, another CNN executive.
Sources told the outlet that the 58-year-old Zucker smells an opportunity following former CEO Chris Licht’s ouster earlier this month after a lengthy magazine article in which he was critical of the network’s COVID coverage, and the hosting of a town hall with former President Donald J. Trump that triggered an internal mutiny that reportedly included some of CNN’s biggest names.
“Jeff is likely going to make a bid this fall to purchase,” said an unnamed source who has knowledge, the outlet reported, adding that buying CNN and returning to run the show would be the “ultimate revenge” for Zucker.
(Video: YouTube/The New York Post)
An unnamed friend of the longtime television exec said that “I wouldn’t count Zucker out,” and that the former network president “holds a grudge” and would find his way to “be back on top.”
“Sources say Zucker sees a big opportunity at CNN ahead of the 2024 presidential election after ex-CEO Chris Licht’s strategy to revamp the network’s programming to appeal to a more centrist audience flopped, sending ratings and ad revenue tumbling,” according to the New York Post.
The controversial profile of Licht in The Atlantic may have been the catalyst for his downfall but he was already a “dead man talking” over the May town hall with Trump during which the GOP frontrunner humiliated star anchor and “nasty person” Kaitlan Collins in front of a cheering New Hampshire crowd, a ratings hit for the network as well as a blow to its ideological employees.
You’re a nasty person” — Trump to Kaitlan Collins (the audience cheers)
Trump just won the Presidency.
Thanks CNN!!! #CNNTownhall been Done with CNN.
pic.twitter.com/NYwcgMB5pI— Antonio Sabato Jr (@AntonioSabatoJr) May 11, 2023
Zucker “has made no secret of his unhappiness with the terms of his exit from CNN or his low regard for the performance of its current leader, Chris Licht. In a sense, he is now serving as a kind of grievance switchboard for current and former employees of the news network, many people who have spoken with him said,” according to a New York Times report prior to Licht being dumped.
While the outlet dishes the gossip on Zucker and CNN, it notes that the sale is also speculation, reporting that “insiders say it’s also not clear what’s going on inside the head of Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, who has taken responsibility for Licht’s push of CNN toward the center of US politics — a controversial pivot that also had the backing of billionaire board member John Malone.”
One scenario is that Zaslav will keep CNN “while shopping for still other news networks” with ” one possible deal recently floated in media circles involves a merger between NBCUniversal parent Comcast and Paramount,” according to the outlet.
“All the speculation is Jeff putting himself in the news cycle,” a source who wasn’t named said of Zucker. “A big company would need to find synergies and savings.”
“I talked to bankers in the last six months and Warner Bros. Discovery is not selling,” an unnamed media investor is quoted by the outlet. “Nothing is going to happen in the short term.”
The Post also quotes an industry insider who “works on large media mergers” who said that Zaslav’s decision to dump Licht after only a year is a “sign it is readying the cable news network for a sale,” because the network has to demonstrate stability in order to attract a buyer, added the source.
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Chris Donaldson is an ordinary American who is concerned about rampant corruption as well as the ongoing attacks on our way of life by those who have contempt for our hard-earned freedoms. A Navy veteran, he has been a frequent contributor to conservative websites and resides in Florida.
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