Chris Licht, ‘Colbert’ Producer, Is Set to Run CNN

Late-night comedy is a different challenge than a global network at the scale of CNN.

The channel currently has dozens of journalists on the ground in Ukraine covering the Russian invasion. It is weeks away from starting a new digital subscription service, CNN+, a late entry in the news streaming wars to which the network has devoted tens of millions of dollars. Mr. Zucker’s exit was also followed by the forced resignation of his romantic partner, Allison Gollust, who served as CNN’s communications and marketing chief.

Under Mr. Zucker, the channel’s programming moved into more partisan territory, driven in part by the scathing attacks it faced from then-President Donald J. Trump. Recently, John Malone, the chairman of Liberty Media who will be a key player in the soon-to-be-formed Warner Bros. Discovery, lamented publicly that CNN had drifted from its traditional down-the-middle news coverage.

Mr. Licht is likely to have the full-throated support of Mr. Zaslav, the Discovery chief executive. The men dine together several times a year, and Mr. Licht has been a regular attendee of Mr. Zaslav’s starry Labor Day weekend party in East Hampton, N.Y.

Mr. Licht, a graduate of the S.I. Newhouse communications school at Syracuse University (where a control room for students is named after him), started his television career in local news. He worked in Los Angeles around the time of the O.J. Simpson trial and spent time in San Francisco before moving to MSNBC, where he became a producer of Joe Scarborough’s talk show.

He has a family connection to his new employer: His wife, Jenny Blanco, worked at CNN for several years as a producer for the anchor Anderson Cooper and then as a director of talent recruiting and development. They began dating while on assignment at the Athens Summer Olympics in 2004.

James B. Stewart contributed reporting.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/26/business/media/cnn-chris-licht.html