CNN hopes to return to offices August 1 for Atlanta and September 1 for New York

CNN Worldwide president Jeff Zucker announced he was planning on August and September for its news and sports teams to return to their offices. “These dates were not chosen arbitrarily,” Zucker said in a memo to staff. “We are trying to coincide with back-to-school schedules, assuming that would make the most sense for those with young families.”

In the memo, Zucker said that they were targeting August 1 for a return to Atlanta offices and studios, and September 1 for the New York, Washington, San Francisco and Los Angeles bureaus. As for the international bureaus, Zucker says the company is taking a “city-by-city approach” based on the health regulations and rules in those areas — Hong Kong and Abu Dhabi offices are already open; London will have staffers returning next month.

Zucker wrote that because of logistics, “it will likely take a couple of weeks to effectively get everyone back to their desks. But those are generally when you can expect to see the start of a return.” He said that the dates were chosen to coincide with back-to-school schedules.

He said that vaccinations will not be required for a return but they will be “strongly encouraged,” and safety protocols, like the wearing of masks, will remain in place for the foreseeable future. Follow @CommentaryCNN

CNN announces Jim Acosta’s new show

CNN’s new Chief Domestic Correspondent Jim Acosta has been named CNN Newsroom Saturday and Sunday anchor. He will anchor weekends from 3-6pm. Prior to this new role, he covered the White House for CNN for the past seven years, and he served as Chief White House Correspondent since 2018. As previously announced, Pamela Brown now anchors CNN Newsroom on Saturdays and Sundays from 6-9pm, taking over after Acosta. She also serves as Senior Washington correspondent for CNN.

In addition, CNN announced Ana Cabrera will vacate her weekend post and move to weekdays, anchoring Newsroom from 1-2pm. After that, from 2-4pm, Alisyn Camerota and Victor Blackwell will co-anchor Newsroom since Brooke Baldwin announced she is leaving in April. Brianna Keilar will move to New Day with John Berman.

Camerota told CNN Worldwide president Jeff Zucker, “I would sometimes say to Jeff, you know, it’s kind of hard to do this and get up at 3. And he would basically say, get back in there, and that there was no time to take your foot off the gas. And he was right. So basically, I really wanted to see this through.” But now, Zucker has agreed to move her to afternoons.

Replacing Blackwell on New Day Weekend, Boris Sanchez will join Christi Paul as co-anchor on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Sanchez previously served as a CNN White House correspondent.Follow @CommentaryCNN

Jeff Zucker is leaving CNN

CNN Worldwide president Jeff Zucker announced this morning to staffers he will depart CNN at year’s end 2021. “The truth is, back in November and December I had basically decided that it was time to move on now,” Zucker said on the company’s daily editorial call, according to CNN. “But since then I’ve had a change of heart. And I want to stay. Not forever, but for another year. And I feel really good about this decision.”

Zucker created intense loyalty with his employees. “He’s the best boss I ever had, and it’s not even close,” CNN anchor Jake Tapper told the New York Times. “I’m grateful that we get him for another year.”

Associates said Zucker had been in high spirits in recent weeks, basking in WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar’s public praise of him and buoyed by CNN’s high ratings, the Times noted.

He joined CNN in 2013, and currently serves as the chief of WarnerMedia News and Sports.

Just the day before Zucker announced his intent to leave, Vanity Fair reported people at CNN “feel like he has their back, and I don’t know if anyone else can replicate that sense of support,” one CNN journalist told me. “In 40 years of CNN, the place has never been defined by its leader like it is right now. It’s like Roger Ailes without the sexual abuse and hush money.”Follow @CommentaryCNN

CNN Airport Network to shut down after 30 years

Today, CNN Worldwide president Jeff Zucker sent a memo to CNN employees, informing them that as of March 31, “CNN Airport Network will end operations.” The network, which has aired content from CNN/USA, HLN, and TNT, has been on the air for 30 years.

“The steep decline in airport traffic because of COVID-19, coupled with all the new ways that people are consuming content on their personal devices, has lessened the need for the CNN Airport Network. Having to say goodbye to such a beloved brand is not easy. I want to thank our friends and colleagues who have contributed to its success and and to celebrate the fact that for 30 years, the CNN Airport Network has kept millions of domestic travelers informed.”

CNN Airport Network was shown on 1,800 screens in 54 airports across the U.S. and BermudaFollow @CommentaryCNN

CNN’s micromanaging chief executive Jeff Zucker may leave early — and CNN would be better off for it.

CNN Worldwide president Jeff Zucker’s contract with CNN ends in 2021. But WarnerMedia hasn’t extended Zucker’s contract, and there is talk, the Wall Street Journal reports, that Zucker may bow out before his contract ends.

Zucker joined the network in 2013, and he has been wrecking it ever since. CNN went from a respected news organization to a liberal, Trump-bashing network on his watch and with his encouragement. He has promoted and magnified bloviators like Brian Stelter (who knew media commentary meant he needed to be on for every damn segment, offering some Democratic talking point under the guise of news reporting?), Chris Cuomo, and has overseen Anderson Cooper’s hard turn from the primetime news anchor, to just the kickoff of CNN’s opinion block, airing from 8pm sharp till midnight.

Last Wednesday, Zucker said loves his job, but added, “The industry is changing, our company is changing, so I have a lot to think about. I’ll do that at the right time.” He has said he won’t make a decision until after the election.

When Kilar succeeded John Stankey atop WarnerMedia earlier this year, he carried out another overhaul in August that took away Zucker oversight of CNN’s finances and human resources, as well as communications . . . an area run by one of Zucker’s top people, Allison Gollust. The changes “annoyed and surprised” Zucker, the people familiar with the situation told the Journal.

If Zucker elects to stay at CNN, and if WarnerMedia elects to keep him . . . expect to see CNN veer further away from objective news reporting, and further towards their eight-minute open essays. You know, like the opinion shows on MSNBC and Fox.

They’ve become indistinguishable. But, carry on.Follow @CommentaryCNN

Reza Aslan says Jeff Zucker canceled his CNN series to appease Trump

Over the weekend, fired CNN host Reza Aslan made quite the allegation: CNN Worldwide president Jeff Zucker made the decision to cancel his show, Believer, in the summer of 2017, in order to appease President Donald Trump.

Aslan had tweeted that Trump was a “piece of shit.” Then, he apologized, under pressure from CNN execs.

“[Jeff] Zucker informed the production company that he was pulling the plug on the show. The response from the production company was, ‘Wait a minute, what? We thought this was over. He apologized. You accepted the apology. This was four days ago,'” Aslan explained to The Daily Beast. According to him, he indicated Zucker said, “I have no choice in the matter.”

He continued, “I had enough friends there who were able to tell me: ‘Look, it’s a matter of access. It’s an access issue.’ The idea was that Trump wouldn’t come on CNN anymore as a result of this. And also, this was at the height of the AT&T merger where Trump was illegally—and publicly—saying that he wasn’t going to allow this merger to happen unless CNN fire Jeff Zucker, because they have this fake “conflict” between them.”

“Why do you say all is forgiven and then four days later cancel the show? It came as a surprise both to us, and to people at the network. Even the higher-ups at CNN were surprised by this move.”

He finished to The Daily Beast: “We tried to call [Zucker] and get some clarity, and that’s when I was sat down and told that the following came directly from Jeff Zucker. What he basically said was, ‘Keep your boy in line, stay quiet, don’t do any interviews—this is obviously going to be a big story—don’t comment about this, and in exchange, when this brouhaha dies down, you will get the show, the masters, and the format’ — because CNN technically owned not only Believer but the format, by which I mean they owned Reza Aslan goes around the world exploring religions, or my entire livelihood. So I couldn’t go around doing that for anyone else. I was told I could have all of it back if I just stayed quiet. So I had been purposely muzzled—fooled—into keeping my mouth shut.” Follow @CommentaryCNN

CNN announces new Race beat and expands Police beat

CNN has created a new beat, the Race team, and has expanded its law enforcement beat, CNN Worldwide Jeff Zucker announced in a memo on Monday. “Our reporting has been powerful, emotional, and helped to shed a light on the growing movement against institutional racism. Today, I am pleased to announce that we are making an even more significant, sustained commitment to ensure race coverage is a permanent part of our journalism,” Zucker said.

In introducing the new team, he said, “We are pleased to share the news of a new and expanded race team, which will contribute to all CNN platforms. This team will build on what so many do already at CNN and will provide the needed structure to cover this beat with more focus and force,” before noting “team will break news and cover the stories and conversations around race. The struggles, progress, and triumphs.”

Zucker continued, “Delano Massey will be the leader of this new beat. Delano joined CNN recently from the AP, where he was the leader of the race and ethnicity team. He will also continue to run the team covering the Justice Department. Delano will report to Matthew for newsgathering and into Cathy for digital priorities. The three of them will collaborate closely and make sure these stories reach and serve audiences across the network. They are recruiting as of today.”

Furthermore, he noted the expansion on the law enforcement beat. “We’re formalizing a structure to increase our commitment to reporting on policing in America—the power that law enforcement has, how they wield it, and the full view of policing as seen from individuals and communities who value, fear or question their authority. The challenges that officers face and the stories of where the system is working and where it’s broken. Pervaiz Shallwani will oversee this beat. Pervaiz joined CNN recently after spending more than a decade editing and reporting on policing. Pervaiz will report to Matthew and continue his leadership of daily enterprise and investigative efforts in New York. In addition to drawing on the already-strong work of Shimon Prokupecz, Josh Campbell, Ryan Young, Mark Morales, Scott Glover, and others, we are going to add a new digitally-focused Senior Writer to this beat team who will contribute important context to breaking stories and think of policing as a business and an institution. The senior writer will go deep into the renewed scrutiny on police tactics, training, and unions.”Follow @CommentaryCNN

Zucker declares: “We are the most trusted name in news”

CNN just enjoyed a record-breaking second quarter, the highest ratings period CNN has ever seen. CNN’s audience increased at a higher pace than its rivals, and it is also seeing strong numbers for its digital operation.

CNN’s weekday primetime audience of 1.95 million was up 120% over the same period last year, according to Nielsen. Fox News, which has led in the ratings, had an average of 4.07 million viewers, a 43% increase, while MSNBC’s count of 2.47 million was up 13% from 2019.

“We are a news organization that is built for this kind of time,” CNN president Jeff Zucker said to the Associated Press. “The others in this space are political talk channels, and so even when they’re talking about these stories, they’re talking about the politics of the stories. We’re talking about the news of the stories.”

“All of our research shows we are the most trusted name in news. Others may not believe that, others may scoff at that, the president of the United States makes fun of it, but it’s true.”

Zucker concluded, “More people are watching us than at any time in 40 years. The mere fact that there’s a handful of people left in Washington who can’t figure that out is not our problem.”

MSNBC president Phil Griffin didn’t like Zucker’s jab at him doing “political talk”: “[Our reporters are] doing a hell of a lot more than ‘political talk.'”Follow @CommentaryCNN