Zucker named to succeed Wright as head of NBC .... what does this mean ....... ?

[Stinky The Clown]

Please don't take this as some sort of endorsement for NBC, but, at least as far as cable goes (MSNBC), they're pretty widely acknowledged as the closest to a news source that tries to give **actual** balance in their reportage and programming.

I have no idea of the history or record of this Zucker guy. Does anyone else know? Is this (hopefully) the opposite of appointing Roger Ailes as head of Faux Noise?

[snowbear]

1. His first move should be to replace Brian Williams with Jon Stewart..

I took a look at the chatter on the various websites about the move, and most people (good people.. not wingnuts ) seem to think it's a good move.

Guess we'll find out eventually..

[DURHAM D]

2. Mort Zucker - very, very pro Bush/war.

To me, - same category as Joe Leibermouth. Wants to use American blood in mideast to an extent that makes me very uncomfortable.

[City Lights]

3. Mort's last name is Zuckerman.

I think this Zucker is Jeff Zucker.

I know nothing about him.

[DURHAM D]

4. Good - glad I was mistaken. n/t

[Stinky The Clown]

8. I should have clarified .... Jeff Zucker .... not Mort.

[FrenchieCat]

5. Edited to adjust to new name....not Mort but Jeff.....LOL!

Zucker is on the left.....


HARVARD MAN!
Zucker and his family moved to Miami, Florida, when he was a child. His father was a cardiologist, and his mother, Arlene, was a school teacher. He has a younger sister, Pam. Zucker did not speak until he was 3, but spent countless hours putting together 500-piece puzzles. By age 5, he discovered tennis, and he later became a top-ranked player in Florida.

He was captain of the North Miami Senior High School tennis team, editor of the school paper, and a teenage freelance reporter ("stringer") for The Miami Herald. The 5-foot, 6-inch Zucker also served as president of his sophomore, junior, and senior classes, running on the slogan: "The little man with the big ideas." Before college, he took part in Northwestern University's National High School Institute Program for journalism.

He went on to Harvard, serving as President of the school newspaper, The Harvard Crimson, during his senior year, surprising many who thought the post would go to Michael Hirschorn. As President of the Crimson, Zucker encouraged the decades-old rivalry with the Harvard Lampoon, headed by future NBC colleague Conan O'Brien. (The Crimson's editors now joke that since Zucker is O'Brien's boss, those who want to get ahead in life should choose to join The Crimson over the Lampoon). He graduated in 1986 with a B.A. in American History.

BUT COULDN'T GET INTO HARVARD LAW SCHOOL.
Researcher
When he was not admitted to Harvard Law School, he delayed his legal studies at the University of Virginia Law School when he was hired by NBC to research material for its coverage of the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.


Field producer & executive producer of The Today Show
In 1989, he was a field producer for The Today Show, and at 26 he became its executive producer in 1992.<2> He introduced outdoor rock concerts on the show, and incorporated a mass live audience, most prominently through a window on the city. Under his leadership, Today was the nation’s most-watched morning news program, with viewership during the 2000-01 season reaching the highest point in the show’s history.


President of NBC Entertainment
In 2000, he was named NBC Entertainment's President.<3> During that time he oversaw NBC's entire entertainment schedule. He kept the network ahead of the pack by airing the gross out show Fear Factor, squeezing extra years out of the Friends crew, and signing Donald Trump for the reality show The Apprentice. The Zucker era produced a spike in operating earnings for NBC, from $532 million the year he took over to $870 million in 2003.

[snowbear]

6. OMG.... they could be TWINS !!

[FrenchieCat]

7. Zucker's got the better chin! lol! n/t

[monmouth]

9. Imus has mentioned this a few times and seems pretty happy about it.

That alone says a lot, Imus happy???

[FrenchieCat]

10. That's not good.....

Cause that Imus is a weirdo to me.

Could never figure out the appeal. Like what did he do to merit a show that folks take seriously anyways? I have never looked into that.