Reading Between the Lines

Discovery chief David Zaslav talked to Deadline about a number of topics, including the takeover of CNN by Discovery.

It appears that Zaslav is not exactly a fan of today’s cable news and that might not bode well for some of the talent at CNN.

Zaslav helped launch MSNBC, but he thinks the world has changed since then. “The world was in a different place. I think overall we’d probably be better off if we just had news networks in America,” rather than those with an opinion element. “But we don’t. Media tends to be a reflection of where the country is. Where the country was when we launched MSNBC was much more fact-based and less divided,” Zaslav said.

Hearing him say that and you might think that many of the opinion hosts (and there are lots of them) at CNN might be on the endangered list.

Also, this passage from the Deadline story is not a very big vote of confidence for CNN head Jeff Zucker.

As to the future of news and sports chief Jeff Zucker, who oversees CNN, Zaslav said he could not comment. Prior to the merger announcement last May, Zucker had indicated plans to step down by the end of 2021. “Jeff’s a good friend and I like him a lot,” he said, but said he would not be able to reveal plans for CNN until we close.

I’m thinking there will be a number of changes coming to CNN and let’s be honest, they are badly needed.

Hello, World!