Jeff Zucker Makes Bold Claims about "New Day"
CNN news boss Jeff Zucker is becoming the car salesman of cable news.
Each person he hires and each show he puts on the air he makes claims that some would say are over the top.
Today, Zuck and the gang met the press for CNN's next attempt at a morning show that won't suck. But, if you listened to Zucker, "New Day" is the next Today Show back when the Today Show was good.
Never mind that the show hasn't even hit the air yet.
"I remember back when we put the 'Today' show team together in 1996 with Katie, Matt, Al and Ann, it was a new generation, and they were new faces and new voices and generationally different than what was on morning television at the time. And as I look around morning television today, I think this is generationally different and I think that's our opportunity and what I'm excited about," Zucker crowed.
Zucker thinks he nailed his new morning team with Chris Coumo and Erin Bur..... ummmm ..... Kate Bolduan.
"When we put Kate next to Chris, you just knew and [the chemistry] was there and as it unfolded, you saw it," he said. "And I'll tell you about the first time I met Michaela (Pereira). I was like 'Holy shit, where have you been?'"
Of course, if Zucker was reading FTVLive over 10 years ago, we pointed out Pereira and her work back on tech channel ZDTV.
As for the format of the new morning show? Senior executive producer Jim Murphy said viewers can expect a "super newsy" show, but one that is "looser, a bit more fun, and hopefully a bit more interesting" than what he said CNN has been known for in the past.
While Zucker has already anointed "New Day" the king of the morning shows, insiders at CNN are just quietly hoping it last a couple of years and pulls in half way decent numbers.
If not, we're sure Zucker will have a new model with the best gas mileage and exterior design and will make it a pleasure to drive.
As we said the guy has morphed into a car salesman along with a cable news boss.
H/T HuffPo