NBC Universal Chief Jeff Zucker To Become President Of CNN Worldwide In January

Former NBC Universal chief and veteran news producer Jeff Zucker will become the president of CNN Worldwide beginning in January, the network announced Thursday.

“Jeff’s experience as a news executive is unmatched for its breadth and success,” said Phil Kent, chairman and CEO of Turner Broadcasting System (TBS), CNN’s parent company. “In a career that has seen significant professional success in both broadcast and cable, Jeff has demonstrated his ability to run multiple lines of business and fiercely defend journalists and journalism.”

Zucker will oversee 23 branded news and information businesses when he starts in his new position.

In a statement, Zucker said:

“I am thrilled to join the distinguished team of journalists across the worldwide platforms of CNN. The global reach and scale of the CNN brand is unparalleled in all of news. Outside of my family and the Miami Dolphins, there is nothing I am as passionate about as journalism.”

Zucker’s predecessor, Jim Walton, resigned from CNN in July after being with the network for almost 10 years. He said the company needed new leadership as it faced some of its poorest ratings and placed in third behind Fox News and MSNBC. He will remain with the network through the end of the year.

Zucker’s first challenge, then, will be turning the network and returning it to its former glory, which included the company tripling its earnings when Walton became president in 2003.

The Miami-born news producer began his career as a researcher for NBC’s Olympics operation in 1986. He became a producer for the Today show three years later, and was promoted to executive producer in 1996.

Jeff Zucker was promoted to the head of NBC Entertainment in 2000, and became the head of NBC Universal in 2007. During his tenure at NBC, he launched the Today show to the No. 1 spot, which it has held consistently under his leadership.