Jeff Zucker: Last News

She said she told former former CNN President Jeff Zucker she was going to leave back in January.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorA second senior CNN executive who was deeply involved in the launch of the company’s CNN+ streaming-video hub is set to leave the company.In a memo to staffers delivered Wednesday, CNN CEO Chris Licht said Alex MacCallum, who had been named interim chief of CNN’s digital operations, was planning to leave the Warner Bros. Discovery unit on June 30. Wendy Brundige, senior vice president of global digital video, will take over the role of interim chief.

Speaking at the Warner Bros Discovery upfront, new CNN boss Chris Licht delivered his most expansive public comments since taking over from Jeff Zucker, promising a morning show “disruptor” and a challenge to cable news norms.

Almost three years after CNN anchor Don Lemon was accused of sexually assaulting a man in a Sag Harbor, NY, bar in 2018, the incendiary lawsuit ended in a whimper.

Standing just a few feet away from the first POTUS to attend the White House Correspondents’ Dinner since 2016, Daily Show host Trevor Noah mixed the political with the pop culture to take an equal opportunity dig at everyone tonight — including the people who pay him the big bucks.

Whoopi Goldberg, William Shatner, Amy Poehler, Alex Kurtzman, Maury Povich, Warner Bros Television Group chairman Channing Dungey and producer and media investor Jeff Sagansky have been selected as the recipients of NATPE’s 2022 Tartikoff Legacy Awards. The awards, in their 18th year, are given to acknowledge a select group of television professionals who have demonstrated the highest degree of excellence in their field.

UPDATED: CNN+, the news network’s expensive venture into subscription streaming, will shut down at the end of the month.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterThe finale of CNN+’s “Land of the Giants: Titans of Tech,” titled “The Netflix Effect,” launches Thursday, perfect timing for an entertainment industry that is both reeling amid Netflix’s shocking Q1 subscriber miss, poor second-quarter outlook and the wait to see if CNN+ can find its groove as quickly as it might need to in order to survive.Based on the “Land of the Giants” podcast from Vox Media’s Recode, the CNN+ docuseries explores the complicated histories of Meta (a.k.a. Facebook), Apple, Amazon, Google and now Netflix.

Interview magazine, bashing women execs for paving a path to success by “act[ing] like the dude.”She then accused people who tend to veer towards a liberal world view as being the largest offenders.“Extremely dangerous because it tends to come from the left,” Griffin said. The “My Life on the D-List” star added, “Jonathan Chait is a writer who I think would be surprised if I called him a casual misogynist.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterAs Discovery and WarnerMedia leaders go full throttle on final merger preparation for the anticipated April 8 closing date, the industry is eager to learn how Warner Bros., HBO and the former Turner cable networks will exist alongside Discovery’s large portfolio of global channels and content operations.The formal tying-of-the-knot can’t come soon enough for executives, staff, creatives and talent at both companies, who also are still largely in the dark about potential structural changes, management shifts and strategic pivots.On Tuesday morning, WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar announced that he would be stepping down ahead of the merger. Besides that, there’s a rudimentary “initial wordmark” logo for Warner Bros.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorJon Adler, a veteran behind the production of many of CNN’s original series, has been named a senior vice president overseeing that programming at CNN as the WarnerMedia unit is creating more documentary content for its soon-to-launch streaming outlet, CNN Plus.“With the expansion of our mandate to create premium long-form programming for CNN Plus, Jon’s experience developing distinctive content for CNN linear will now benefit our newest platform,” said Amy Entelis, CNN’s executive vice president for talent and content development, in a memo to staffers. “Jon is one of the most passionate advocates for all things CNN and we are excited to see him embark on this new chapter.” Adler reports to Entelis.

Chris Cuomo is arguing that CNN firing him led to «his journalistic integrity unjustifiably smeared.»In November, Chris was suspended indefinitely from the news network after documents indicated that he was more deeply involved in helping his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, build a legal defense against multiple allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct.Months later, he's asking CNN for $125 million in damages, claiming he was wrongfully terminated based on false claims that he defied journalistic ethics. The 51-year-old newsman, who started at CNN in 2013, claims he was transparent with the news network's leadership team about his involvement with his brother's personal and professional troubles.Chris further claims that not only was the leadership team aware of everything, but they had previously changed their code of ethics in order to allow him to interview his brother, who was the governor of New York at the time, amid the coronavirus pandemic in an effort to boost ratings.Once scrutiny toward his brother intensified, however, Chris claims that CNN leadership, including Jeff Zucker, who was president of the network at the time, changed their tune, calling for his termination and citing his alleged involvement with his brother as well as alleged sexual misconduct claims against him. Chris is claiming that neither his involvement with Andrew nor the sexual misconduct claims, which he says are «false,» were properly investigated by CNN.In addition to claiming he was unlawfully terminated, Chris and his legal team are also arguing that CNN breached their contract with him by not enforcing that his former colleagues could not speak ill of him.

EXCLUSIVE: After months of legal anticipation after his December 2021 firing by Jeff Zucker, Chris Cuomo has just launched the official opening salvo in what looks to be protracted battle with CNN for not only $125 million in cash, but his character and family drama as well.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterDiscovery investors voted in approval of the company’s $43 billion acquisition of WarnerMedia from AT&T to create Warner Bros. Discovery during a special meeting of stockholders Friday, marking one of the final formal steps before the transaction can close.The deal, a spinoff of WarnerMedia from AT&T, is expected to be completed early in Q2, with insiders telling Variety the estimated date is between April 11-28. The merger has already received approval from the U.S.

EXCLUSIVE: Jeff Zucker has finalized a deal with WarnerMedia over the former CNN chief’s sudden fall from grace last month.

For the past seven years, Chris Licht’s favorite comic has been Stephen Colbert. As the new chairman of CNN, Licht’s focus has instantly shifted to the brilliant ex-comic from Ukraine named Volodymyr Zelensky, whose heroics are the story of the hour.

CNN’s new subscription streaming service will be priced at $5.99 per month, with a special offer for early subscribers to get 50% off, according to the network.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorCNN will have a new chief for a new chapter.Chris Licht, a veteran producer who has overseen programs like MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and CBS’ “CBS This Morning” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” was named chairman and chief executive of CNN Global — a new name for the news operation once its parent, WarnerMedia, is acquired by Discovery. Licht will report directly to David Zaslav, who will be CEO of the combined company.Discovery is expected to take control of WarnerMedia sometime in mid-April, depending on a shareholder vote, among other conditions.The prospect of a new owner and a new top executive has spurred speculation about what new programming and operating direction may be in store for the venerable cable-news outlet, which has been under scrutiny since WarnerMedia ousted former president Jeff Zucker after he failed to disclose a romantic relationship with Allison Gollust, CNN’s former chief marketing officer.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeTwo decades ago, then-NBC executive Jeff Zucker made headlines by “supersizing” “Friends” episodes as a monthlong stunt. But in the streaming era, viewers are frequently caught off guard by run times that vary considerably from one episode to another.Freed from the need to fill a half-hour (actually, 21 minutes with commercials) or an hourlong (e.g., 44 minutes plus ads) time slot in linear TV, producers are allowing their shows to breathe — and let the story dictate how long or short an episode can be.Netflix’s new Shonda Rhimes drama “Inventing Anna,” for instance, is an hour long … sometimes.

Claudia Eller Co-Editor-in-ChiefI’ve always wondered what it’s like for journalists at news organizations to have to cover their own outlets when they become the news.The most recent case is CNN reporting on the shocking story that its beloved leader of nine years, Jeff Zucker, abruptly resigned Feb. 2 over failure to disclose a consensual romantic relationship with his close lieutenant Allison Gollust.

UPDATE 2/15/2022: Allison Gollust is stepping down from her position as Chief Marketing Officer for CNN, the network announced on Feb. 15. Jason Kilar, the CEO of the network’s parent company WarnerMedia, made the announcement of Allison’s resignation in a memo to the staff.