NEW YORK — CBS executive Chris Licht, who currently runs Stephen Colbert's Late-Night Show after helping produce two news programs, is expected to replace Jeff Zucker as CNN's new president.
According to an executive familiar with the discussions, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Licht will be named for the job as of next week because the person was not authorized to speak on personnel. The information about the selection was first given by the Puck website on Saturday. He won't take over until federal approval for a deal giving CNN the new corporate ownership is expected to take place early this spring.
The new head is the executive vice president of special programming at CBS. Before taking over as executive producer on Colbert's "Late Show" in 2016, Licht ran the network's morning news show "CBS This Morning", directing it to the top of the ratings.
Before joining CBS in 2012, he was the top executive behind the scenes in the early years of MSNBC's "Morning Joe."
There was no immediate comment from a representative for CNN's corporate parent WarnerMedia.
Licht was chosen by Discovery CEO David Zaslav, who is expected to take over WarnerMedia soon in a corporate deal pending approval.
Zucker was forced out as CNN chief earlier this month because he violated corporate rules by not telling his superiors about his romantic relationship with Allison Golst, a top CNN marketing executive. Gault himself was later pushed out.
Zucker was a pragmatic executive who directed CNN for years when it was targeted for criticism by former President Donald Trump, and many of his employees were extremely loyal.
One of Licht's top priorities will be finding a permanent replacement for Chris Cuomo, who was once CNN's most popular prime-time host. Cuomo was fired in December after allegations of sexual misconduct were revealed, limiting his efforts to help his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
During Zucker's tenure, several CNN personalities have become more opinionated on the air, and there has been some talk about whether a new chief executive will attempt to reset things.
Licht, who did not immediately return a message seeking comment on Saturday, took over from behind the scenes at Colbert's show while he was fumbling. It rose to the top late in the night, in large part behind Colbert's biting attacks on Trump.
He will also be expected to debut the CNN+ paid streaming service this spring. The network is busy hiring new people for CNN+, including former Fox News host Chris Wallace.
CNN's television network, like other news outlets, has lost popularity since the 2020 election, driving up ratings. But it has shown its depth as a news organization with its coverage of the Russian attack on Ukraine, which led to Zaslav's praise in last week's earnings call.
"It becomes very clear when you go around the world and you see other news channels where people are sitting behind desks and giving their opinions about what's going on, there's a news network that On the ground with reporters in bulletproof jackets and helmets. "What journalists do best is fight to tell the truth in dangerous places," said Jaslav, an NBC News executive, before taking over at Discovery.
"It's a proud moment for us to see what's happening there," he said.