Former Newtown resident Chris Licht to replace Jeff Zucker at CNN
Chris Licht, who grew up in Connecticut, is expected to be named the new president and CEO of CNN Global.
Discovery Inc. officials announced Monday their intention to appoint Chris Licht to the role once the company’s acquisition of WarnerMedia is complete. Licht grew up in Newtown and his promotion is expected to take place in May.
Licht replaces Jeff Zucker, the chairman of CNN whose nine-year term ended last month when he resigned due to an apparent romantic relationship with a colleague.
Licht has spent more than 20 years in television news and now serves as executive vice president of special programming at CBS. He has created and directed award-winning news and entertainment shows and programs, including “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” “CBS This Morning” and MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” which features resident Joe Scarborough. longtime New Canaan.
David Zaslav, new chief executive of Warner Bros. Discover, described Licht as “a dynamic and creative producer, an engaging and thoughtful reporter, and a true journalist”.
“He has over two decades of experience delivering local, cable and national news,” Zaslav said. “He is a principled person who is trustworthy, hard working and makes every organization stronger, more innovative and more cohesive.”
Licht said CNN “has a rich, storied legacy and I intend to both maintain and expand that.”
“While I will deeply miss everyone on ‘The Late Show,’ my heart is in the newsroom and I look forward to working with CNN’s incredibly talented team of reporters,” he said. As part of his job at CBS, Licht is the showrunner of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”