CNN Worldwide president Jeff Zucker said on a staff-wide call Thursday morning that he plans to stay with the network until his contract expires at the end of 2021.
Why it matters: Zucker's tenure at CNN has been debated among media insiders for years. The TV boss has reportedly been eyeing an exit from the network for some time.
- Zucker has been president of CNN Worldwide since 2013. He was named chairman of WarnerMedia News and Sports in March 2019, following the acquisition of Time Warner by AT&T in 2018.
- Zucker led the network during a contentious period, with former President Trump frequently demonizing CNN to his followers. Under Zucker's leadership, the network leaned into that tension, placing more anti-Trump opinion-like programming in primetime.
The big picture: CNN saw a ratings boost in mid-January during President Biden's inauguration and in the week following the Capitol attack. It's unclear whether the Biden administration will bring a substantial lift to ratings overall, as ratings fell in primetime after news surrounding the insurrection subsided.
- Still, the January bright spots were an indicator that CNN has some running room following consistent beats by Fox News during the Trump era.
- Zucker's departure at the end of 2021 could come amid a ratings resurgence, should CNN be able to continue to find ratings streaks during the first year of the Biden administration.
What's next: Zucker hasn't indicated what he plans to do when and if he leaves CNN, but the former NBC Universal executive has previously suggested that he would consider getting into politics.
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