Chris Licht, a veteran TV information govt and present showrunner for CBS’ “Late Present With Stephen Colbert,” is predicted to be named president of CNN, filling the function of its ousted chief, Jeff Zucker.
Two folks accustomed to the matter stated that Discovery Inc. Chief Government David Zaslav has tapped Licht for the function, which is without doubt one of the highest-profile jobs within the tv information enterprise.
His appointment, first reported within the e-newsletter Puck, is predicted to be introduced subsequent week earlier than the scheduled shut of Discovery’s merger with CNN guardian WarnerMedia.
It comes throughout a interval of upheaval at CNN, which was shaken by the exit of Zucker, who was pressured to resign final month after failing to report a romantic relationship with Allison Gollust, his longtime aide and the community’s head of communications and advertising and marketing. Gollust additionally resigned from the community.
A consultant for Discovery Inc. declined remark.
Licht had a long term as a producer at NBC Information, the place he was credited for the creation of the MSNBC franchise “Morning Joe,” the influential Beltway-focused morning program with Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski.
Licht moved in 2011 to CBS Information, the place he oversaw the launch of “CBS This Morning.” This system with co-hosts Charlie Rose, Norah O’Donnell and Gayle King had 5 straight years of rankings development and gained a fame as the neatest community morning present.
This system’s momentum ended as soon as Rose was fired from the community over sexual harassment allegations in November 2017. It has since been renamed “CBS Mornings.”
Licht moved from CBS Information to late evening in 2016 to take over “The Late Present With Stephen Colbert,” which had been struggling after its launch a 12 months earlier. Licht introduced extra of a present affairs focus to this system, which rose within the rankings and has been the highest rated late-night providing for a number of years.
Based on associates, Licht had been in negotiations for a brand new cope with Colbert, as his present contract comes up in April.
However the turmoil at CNN altered these plans.
Licht had made it clear to associates that he would return to the TV information enterprise if he might get the highest CNN job.
Producers who’ve labored with Licht say he’s just like Zucker in his decisiveness, self-confidence and a hands-on administration model as a producer — traits that made Zucker common with CNN’s employees and on-air expertise.
Zucker’s sudden departure was largely met with dismay by CNN staffers. The appointment of a pacesetter with the same method as Zucker and a familiarity with the operation — Licht’s spouse, Jenny, has labored as a producer at CNN — is more likely to be welcomed.
The brand new job might be a significant leap for Licht, who has by no means run an operation as massive as CNN. The information group has 4,000 staff worldwide. Zucker ran NBC earlier than he moved to CNN.
“He’s going to seek out it’s a troublesome nut to crack,” stated one CNN insider who was not licensed to remark publicly. “This isn’t like turning round ‘Colbert’ the place it was round one present with a single expertise.”
However Licht may have the robust assist of Zaslav, a former NBC govt and a longtime good friend.
Licht additionally probably acquired the seal of approval from Oprah Winfrey, who’s in enterprise with Zaslav by OWN, which is a part of the Discovery household of channels. Licht employed Winfrey’s shut pal King for “CBS This Morning.”
The TV govt will be unable to begin in his function till April, when the merger with WarnerMedia is scheduled to shut.
The challenges he faces upon arrival might be daunting. CNN’s share of the cable information viewers has contracted dramatically previously 12 months. Whereas all cable information viewing has declined since Donald Trump exited the White Home in January 2021, CNN has dropped essentially the most.
Viewers ranges have risen this week because the community’s international sources have it nicely positioned to cowl the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However CNN now not dominates when a world disaster breaks out. On the primary full day of protection of Ukraine, Nielsen information confirmed Fox Information averaging 2.6 million viewers in contrast with 1.4 million viewers for CNN and 1.2 million viewers for MSNBC.
Licht will even must determine on what CNN’s id goes ahead.
CNN, as soon as criticized for being too bland, has given extra air time to opinionated hosts reminiscent of Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo, whose firing for advising his brother Andrew, the previous New York governor, led to the downfall of Zucker and Gollust.
The method created extra appointment viewing for CNN, which frequently noticed its viewers evaporate when the information circulate ebbed. However Trump and his acolytes at Fox Information portrayed CNN as having a left-wing slant, a sentiment lately echoed by Discovery Inc. board member John Malone.
Licht will probably now turn into a goal of right-wing media for his affiliation with Colbert, whose comeback in late evening was largely pushed by his biting comedy bits and monologues about Trump. Licht and Colbert turned it into an trade, producing an animated collection concerning the former White Home occupant for Showtime referred to as “Our Cartoon President.”
One other problem might be to discover a new host to interchange Chris Cuomo at 9 p.m. Japanese, the tentpole hour for prime time in cable information. Licht will even must assess CNN+, the direct-to-consumer streaming service set to launch subsequent month. CNN+ is important to the information group’s future as youthful viewers flip to on-line streaming for video, and pay TV subscriptions — which offer the majority of CNN’s revenues — are in a gradual however regular decline.
Instances employees author Meg James contributed to this report.
