A Conversation with CNN President Jeff Zucker

CNN President Jeff Zucker joined longtime Washington Post political correspondent and former IOP Fellow Lois Romero for a conversation on media and politics at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum. Zucker discussed the current election cycle and the sensationalist nature of news today, as well as his experiences that led him on the path toward becoming a top media executive

Jeff Zucker
President of CNN

Lois Romano (moderator)
Longtime Political Correspondent for the Washington Post
Institute of Politics Resident Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School (Spring 2008)

[ThwartedVillainy]

Zucker is also the genius who cancelled Conan O'Brian's show on NBC.

[hoderharris]

Zucker has turned CNN into a reality show..

[stingraycors_t]

why you guys disable the likes and dislikes.

[breandadavis]

Disturbing shit I heard during this interview:

@10:00 "Let me ask you a question. Did you put the rallies on because they were of news value or because they were driving rates?"
"Well...uh...uh..." *Zucker shrugs hands?* *laughter from audience and interviewer* (blah blah blah he babbles on about how they didn't do it for ratings, it just happened to be that Trump's a whacky guy and ya never know what he's gonna say, but we gotta know! We just gotta! We can't NOT know WHAT WHACKY TRUMP IS GONNA SAY! SO WE JUST HAD TO TAPE HIM, WE JUST HAD TUH! but NOT for the ratings you guys. The fact that you would even question that...)

Later...

@14:25 "Being from NY I understood what a publicity magnet Donald Trump was. So my thinking was I was, I wanted to buy the Apprentice and put it on (cover Trump and his rallies 24/7) because I knew if nothing else, it would generate a tremendous amount of publicity. Cause if you came out of NY, especially in that era, you knew that he was the front page of the tabloids all the time, he, he, generated a disproportionate amount of attention, and I thought that that would be good for, you know, a new(s) show that needed publicity....I knew Donald Trump was a PR machine...Trump, uh, uh, he delivered on PR, he delivered on ratings, he would always claim the ratings were bigger than they were" *audience giggles*

Laterer...

@17:03 "So look I mean, uh, you know the Trump that I've always known was somebody who's a publicity magnet, there's no doubt, uhh, and somebody who always understood the media, how to use the media"



An interview with Les Moonves, President and CEO of CBS Corporation was recorded as saying in regards to their coverage of Trump, “It may not be good for America but it’s damn good for CBS, that’s all I got to say. The money’s rolling in and it’s amazing. I’ve never seen anything like this and uh, you know this is going to be a very good year for us.”

[getlst]

It's amazing, I've never seen shit talk before....

[Kizaru]

9:56 is all you need to know about Jeff Zucker.

[jamesfranklin]

Keep giving him praises and raises, CNN. Hope he runs your rating into the ground like he did NBC.

[fortisfortunaadiuvat]

Was this covered at the Zucker 9am call today

[willienle]

“He was incredibly chummy with me, incredibly friendly, ” Zucker says. “It was the old Donald-and-Jeff relationship — the relationship of two people who have known each other for 15 years, who had a long relationship, who always had a cordial relationship. And by the way, the photographer took several photos of me and Donald together.”
Shortly before Trump was sworn in, Zucker heard that he was considering giving Fox News exclusive rights to televise the inauguration and that Kushner was in the process of brokering a deal with Rupert Murdoch, whom Kushner once courted as a mentor. Zucker called Trump. “Bottom line is that I said, ‘This is crazy, ’ ” Zucker recalls. “You’re just going to give your inaugural coverage to your base of support? It makes no sense.”
Trump has only stepped up his attacks on CNN since then and has even publicly taunted Zucker, telling the network’s senior White House correspondent, Jim Acosta, on live TV to “ask Jeff Zucker how he got his job.”

Jeff Zucker has turned CNN into a Trump reality show.

[gudgen]

Dude needs to be living in a tent what a creep

[winstonchen]

Did a search for "jeff zucker stepping down" and these 3 to 4 year old videos is what we get? What is Youtube trying to hide?

[TheJukeboxhero]

I AM GLAD CNN CAME OUT TO TALK ABOUT FREE ELECTIONS  IN NOVEMBER

[amberlyoness]

CNN IS A DISGRACE, THEY ARE FEEDING THE BRAINLESS IDIOTS WHO WATCH IT
A BIG BAG OF BS... THANKS TO ZUCKER THE SCHMUCKER THROW THIS SHIT HEAD LYIN BAG O SHIT.

[BTM]

He took CNN all the way from 3rd to 2nd. Wow what an increidble accomlishment

[elmerwilliamson]

What can you say about Jeff Zucker? He hired the following reporters: Brian Stetler, Chrissy Cuomo, Donny Lemon, Andi Cooper, , Wolf Blitzer. If that doesn’t make him an idiot I don’t know what does!!!

[amberlyoness]

I AM SHOCKED THAT HE HAS NOT BEEN BEATEN TO A PULP THIS ZUCKER SCHMUCKER PIECE OF SHIT LIAR ROTTEN POS, HES A DISGRACE CNN IS GARBAGE

[thomasdalehopewelljr]

A penny contract for the hero’s of this world is much more of a pay back for morals then 700 million a week

[thomasdalehopewelljr]

Penny contract Jeff zucker is our protection

[BT-kfkx]

I came up in this world with an opportunity because lots people. Just because you run the pod doesn’t mean you handshake with the breadstick yes ?

[amberlyoness]

Zucker the Schmucker needs to go to jail for putting out false stories at CNN
the comedy news network, on a hidden video Zucker the schmucker admits to friend that he basically made up the Trump Russia connection to make problems for our President
I say throw this maggot out and throw him in jail where he belongs hes a scumbag