After Jeff Zucker’s resignation earlier in the month, Chris Licht, a long-time television producer, is now set to be the next president at CNN.
Licht is best known for creating MSNBC’s Morning Joe and reviving other shows like “CBS This Morning” or “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” where his current role as showrunner and executive producers.
After WarnerMedia’s acquisition by Discovery, CNN’s corporate parent company, he is expected to assume the new position. This much-anticipated merger will take place in April.
Although none of the parties have commented yet on the expected appointment, CNN reported Saturday Licht’s hiring will officially be announced next week.
Puck.news first reported the news, saying Licht was the top contender for Zucker’s job after Discovery CEO David Zaslav expressed interest in him.
After failing to disclose a ” consensual relation with my closest colleague,” Zucker was forced to resign as CNN president on February 2. The network also investigated Chris Cuomo, former CNN anchor, for his support of his brother, the former governor of New York. Andrew Cuomo manage allegations of sexual misconduct against him.
Licht has over 20 years experience in television news production and has earned a reputation for being a skilled producer and manager of talent.
His current contract with CBS is set to end in April, just in time to takeover his new role as CNN gets ready to undergo a shakeup following the Discovery-WarnerMedia merger.
