Jeff Zucker announces that he will stay with CNN until the end of the year

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Zucker got pretty close to leaving, according to employees, but decided to stay on. He told employees Thursday morning that he will stay with CNN’s parent, WarnerMedia, until the end of the year.

“The truth is, in November and December, I actually decided it was time to move on,” Zucker said during the company’s daily editorial call. ‘But I’ve since changed my mind. And I want to stay. Not forever, but another year. And I feel very good about this decision. ‘

Zucker oversees both CNN and the parent company’s sports assets as chairman of WarnerMedia News and Sports.

Zucker’s timeline offers some short-term stability at CNN, where he is widely seen as a driving force.

And his decision has consequences that go far beyond internal politics, as CNN is one of the largest news providers in the world.

Zucker, a veteran of NBC, took over CNN in 2013. At the time, industry publications were full of stories of CNN’s “identity crisis” lost between Fox’s more popular programming on the right and MSNBC programming on the left.

Zucker brought a producer’s brain, a nose for news and an eye for talent. Numerous stories have described his hands-on management and his support for confronting interviews.

In the Trump years, CNN adopted the slogan “Facts First” and proclaimed the government’s mendacity, gaining the trust of many viewers while alienating some Trump fans. Zucker became something of an ogre for Trump and on Fox’s prime time shows – yet more proof of his larger-than-life status in the news industry.

After AT&T (T.) acquired CNN and the rest of WarnerMedia in 2018, Zucker’s counterparts at other divisions of the media company were either replaced or decided to leave. Sources described occasional tensions between the Zucker leadership and AT&T. But the wireless giant also protected CNN’s autonomy and steadfastly defended the news brand in the midst of Trump’s attacks.
Further changes were made when AT&T appointed Jason Kilar to lead WarnerMedia last year. In October, The Information and The Wall Street Journal reported that Zucker could leave after the election, even though his contract ran until 2021.

“Zucker could be drawn to pursue his other passions, including politics and sports, people who know him say,” The Journal reported in a front-page story.

The stories sparked speculation, not least at CNN.

“In seven years, Zucker has become as important a part of CNN’s DNA as Ted Turner, the man who built the thing in the first place,” wrote Variety reporter Brian Steinberg.

The institution is, of course, much larger than any person – CNN has about 4,000 employees and one of the most robust news-gathering operations in the world. And Zucker is not immune to internal criticism. But overall, the sprawling organization was at its best when a strong leader set the direction.

Kilar seemed to acknowledge this when he praised Zucker in interviews in December. “The two best things that ever happened to CNN were Ted Turner and Jeff Zucker,” said Kilar.

In October and November, Zucker was “pretty well set to leave right after the inauguration,” said one aide.

“The industry is changing, our business is changing, so I have a lot to think about,” he told executives at the end of October.

News leader transitions are common at the end of the presidential election. And it may have been tempting for Zucker to come out on top, as it were, as CNN has been No. 1 in the ratings race, a rare dethronement of Fox.

Ultimately, “he chose to stay because he loves his job,” said the employee.

“CNN has never been stronger, and that’s something I’m incredibly proud of,” said Zucker.

The Los Angeles Times, breaking news of his decision, said, “Zucker currently has no plans beyond 2021. The odds will likely become clearer when the pandemic abates and things return to normal.”

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