Kevin Keelan/Clarion Pictures Jeff Zucker, in 2010, when he was the president and chief executive of NBC Universal.
8:00 p.m. | Updated
CNN announced on Thursday that it would install Jeffrey Zucker, the former chief executive of NBC, as president of CNN Worldwide.
The announcement was the culmination of a four-month search to find a replacement for Jim Walton, who had led CNN to record profits even as ratings for its American network, CNN/U.S., hit record lows. The network announced in July that Mr. Walton would step down at the end of the year.
What’s Next?
Many Paths for CNN
Jeff Zucker no doubt is getting much advice on how to revitalize the network: maybe add more celebrities or double-down on news or documentaries.
Mr. Zucker, 47, will be expected to revive the American network to competitive standing against its rivals, Fox News and MSNBC, even as it maintains its position as a nonpartisan news network, versus those speaking from the right (Fox) and left (MSNBC). Mr. Zucker said he would start his new assignment in January.
In a telephone interview, Mr. Zucker, who said he began discussing the job with CNN executives after Labor Day, summarized what would be his chief challenge: expanding the network’s appeal beyond times when there is breaking news.
“CNN has to find the right programming that exists in between the 25 nights a year when it is most relevant,” he said. “Beyond the fact that we are committed to news and journalism, everything else is open for discussion.”
Mr. Zucker will arrive at CNN carrying the baggage of the collapse of NBC’s own broadcast network, which fell from longtime leadership in prime time to last place under Mr. Zucker, even as the company’s cable networks, including MSNBC, thrived. But Mr. Zucker also brings a reputation for leadership in news, which he forged in two tenures overseeing NBC’s “Today” show to dominance in morning ratings and profits.
Time Warner’s chief executive, Jeffrey L. Bewkes, and his deputy, Phil Kent, the head of Turner Broadcasting, were known to have sought candidates with the right combination of management skills, programming expertise and journalistic credibility to oversee CNN’s many channels and Web sites. There was a shortlist, and Mr. Zucker was on it from the beginning.
Walter Isaacson, who ran CNN from 2001 to 2003, preceding Mr. Walton, said Mr. Zucker was a smart choice because “CNN has great journalists, but what it has needed is an imaginative programmer who knows how to build good shows.”
Phil Griffin, the president of MSNBC, said that if anyone could “bring CNN back,” Mr. Zucker could. Referring to Roger Ailes, the Fox News chairman, Mr. Griffin said: “Ailes on one side, Zucker on the other: Game on.”
This year, Mr. Zucker joined with his longtime friend Katie Couric to produce “Katie,” the syndicated talk show that started in September. The series had its best ratings yet last week.
Mr. Zucker said he had not been actively looking for another job when the CNN position came open. “You can’t come from the background I come from — news, television, great brands — and not be unbelievably intrigued by this,” he said.
At CNN, Mr. Zucker will report to Mr. Kent. He will be based at CNN’s bureau in New York. Mr. Walton was based in Atlanta, where CNN has had its headquarters since its inception in 1980.
Mr. Zucker steered clear of any specific plans he might have for overhauling CNN’s programming. But while underscoring CNN’s commitment to presenting news without the partisan slant of its cable news competitors, Mr. Zucker said several times that he would be looking to make CNN’s programs “more vibrant and exciting” and that news consisted of more than just “politics and war.”
As for examples of what he might mean by redefining news, Mr. Zucker mentioned a coming weekend show on CNN hosted by the chef and world traveler Anthony Bourdain. He also cited the “nonfiction programming” being produced on other cable networks, like Discovery, as part of the competitive landscape that CNN has to be a part of.
“When I say nonfiction programming, I’m not talking about reality shows,” Mr. Zucker said. “I’m not talking about ‘Honey Boo Boo.’ But there is plenty of nonfiction programming that could fit very well under the CNN brand.”
He added, “We know that continuing to do exactly what we’ve been doing will leave us exactly where we’ve been. And that’s not good enough.”
Mr. Kent said that as a cable network, CNN had to find a way to build a core constituency of viewers who considered the network essential viewing.
Still, Mr. Zucker acknowledged that the lineup of CNN prime-time shows, which have greatly lagged their competitors on Fox News and MSNBC, would be a “top priority.” Mr. Kent said one of the continuing issues he expected the new president to address, because of Mr. Zucker’s history as a hands-on news producer, was the subpar execution of some of the network’s programs.
Mr. Kent also said Mr. Zucker’s expertise in morning television was a “wonderful byproduct” of his hiring. Both executives said CNN was likely to redesign the network’s morning program to make it more competitive with its cable rivals and the morning shows on the broadcast networks.
Mr. Zucker acknowledged the negative marks he had received for his handling of the entertainment operation at NBC when he was the chief executive there, saying, “there is no doubt I made mistakes” running NBC Entertainment. “And I own them.”
But both he and Mr. Kent stressed that in joining a full-time news business, Mr. Zucker would be returning to the area of his greatest success and expertise. “I’m excited by the possibilities,” Mr. Zucker said.
Article source: http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/29/cnn-makes-it-official-zucker-to-be-new-president/?partner=rss&emc=rss
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