Discovery CEO David Zaslav Amanda Edwards/Getty Images. Its unlikely that Malone instructed Zaslav to tell Licht to fire Stelter. Contribution Totals: Download all contribution records for this person from 1999 to present To a Spreadsheet or Other File Type: 2020 Transaction Count/Amount: 12/$253,250: 2018 Transaction Count/Amount: 15/$148,300: 2016 Transaction Count/Amount: ', 'For the long term,' Zaslav said, CNN 'is going to be a fantastic asset.'. Joint ventures of DISCA include unions with OWN, the cable channel of Oprah Winfrey, and Hasbro. CNN's statement announcing Cuomo's termination cited only his 'conduct with his brother's defense' in its decision to terminate the anchor. I think Fox News is much more of an advocacy network than a news network, Zaslav said, according to Washington Post media reporter Jeremy Barr. $200 Million. His testimony was subject to the penalty of perjury. Discovery CEO calls CNN 'leader in news to the left'. A Real Clear Politics polling average shows Biden ahead of Trump by close to 10 points. "Zas," as he is known to friends, spent the first two decades of his career at NBC, where he helped launch CNBC and MSNBC before taking the helm at Discovery in 2007. Warner Bros. As for Hasbro, Zaslav saw the potential to reach children with educationally tied programming. This attorney also worked with the Discovery Channel and MTV which were struggling new cable stations at the time. Cuomo's spokesman denied the claim, saying: 'These apparently anonymous allegations are not true.'. They are doing that, and there's still time," Eberhart said. Brian Stelters very popular and commerically successful show was axed. Graphic Policy believes in journalistic integrity and transparency. Kernan, who makes no secret of his conservative leanings, burst out laughing as he responded: 'Definitely to the left. Discovery, despite the sudden ouster of CNN . [2] Zaslav spearheaded the transaction between AT&T and Discovery to combine with WarnerMedia and create the combined Warner Bros. By Dade Hayes. David M Zaslav is President/CEO at Warner Bros Discovery Inc. See David M Zaslav's compensation, career history, education, & memberships. Zaslav has been prodding Licht to reposition CNN to the center, and be a network preferred by " everybody Republicans, Democrats ". CNNs ratings are as bad as local news ratings., New management isnot freaking out but everyone else at CNN is, the source added. Plotkin is a political analyst, a contributor to the BBC on American . Zaslav interrupted, "John is going to be a board member of this company, and I am the operating--," before Kernen spoke over him asking if he had anything to do with Zuckers exit. He loves to play tennis and golf but is, admittedly, not as good at golf. Cuomo has always maintained that Zucker knew the extent to which he had helped his brother while he was in office, and the network boss ignored calls to fire him for months. He is the middle child with two brothers. | Several executives from both companies will maintain their roles, including HBO Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys and Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels. An earlier version of this column misspelled Warner Bros. 2 min read. Please reload the page and try again. A Wall Street financial advisory firm recently told their clients they don't expect Biden to lean too far to the left as the policy recommendations put together by allies of Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders didn't, they say, have many progressive ideas. , updated After graduating from high school, David Zaslav went to Cornell University to play tennis. When Zaslav joined Discovery in 2007, the financial crisis was looming, and Netflix was about to start streaming. David Zaslav's income source is mostly from being a successful President. He serves on the boards of the Paley Center For Media and Mount Sinai Medical Center. Cuomo - who earned $6 million annually at CNN, according to Celebrity Net Worth-told investigators that he reached out to a 'non-journalistic' source while fishing for information on one of his brother's accusers. 'I would like to see CNN evolve back to the kind of journalism that it started with, and actually have journalists, which would be unique and refreshing,' he told CNBCin 2019. David Zaslav Net Worth. "Was there any conjecture that John Malone is behind the curtain? DISCA runs 13 cable stations in the United States including Animal Planet and TLC. Zaslav is Jewish and describes his family life as normal. Zaslav is expected to name Zuckers permanent replacement when the merger closes. Discovery CEO David Zaslav was confronted on Friday about the future of CNN, the liberal network he is set to oversee once a looming merger is official, but claimed the ousting of now-former CNN . 'They were widely known to be extremely close and in regular contact, including about the details of Mr. Cuomo's support for his brother,' the spokesman told the Wall Street Journal. @DiscoveryPlus. In fact, Zaslavclaimed Discovery didn't have anything to do with Zucker's stunning exit, when he was bluntly asked on CNBC about the future of CNN, as well as remarks by Liberty Media chairman John Malone last year that he wanted CNN to revert to more traditional journalism. AT&T Inc., agreed to merge its WarnerMedia division with Discovery Communications Inc., creating a streaming giant to compete with Walt Disney Co.'s Disney+ and Netflix. David Zaslav is the CEO of Discovery Communications, one of the biggest cable conglomerates in the world. The CEO of Warner Brothers Discovery is David Zaslav. Malone also wants the news portion of CNN to be more centrist. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. He is married to Pam and they have three children. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. ", Zaslavs comments contradict a Deadline report that Malone "made it known that corporate procedures had to be followed to the letter in regards to Zucker," therefore, "being that WarnerMedias standards of business conduct require disclosure of relationships that develop with a boss and subordinate, Zuckers goose was officially cooked.". Of those donations, $1 million went to America First Action, a pro-Trump super PAC. ", JEFF ZUCKER OUT AT CNN AFTER FAILING TO DISCLOSE CONSENSUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH COLLEAGUE: I WAS WRONG. The public reason given was that Zucker didn't disclose a sexual relationship with CNN executive Allison Gollust, which immediately raised eyebrows as their relationship was widely known. Company. Zaslav and other Discovery brass reportedly heard about the resignation just hours before it happened. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. The year 2020 expects the fiercest competition to come from the streaming services memo sent out Warner!, More & quot ;, he receives david zaslav political affiliation annual salary of $ 150 million for his.., generate 57 per cent profit that you choose to associate with to a party. We're not involved in any of that,' Zaslav said. They want to fix the shows first, but they dont realize the shows and ratings are connected.. His name alone can send chills down one's spine, but when Fixer Upper (the . RYE BROOK, NY. David Zaslav, the longtime leader of Discovery, sketched out his vision for the newly formed Warner Bros. CNN staffers and media insiders are speculating over why WarnerMedia bosses and AT&T chiefs really wanted him gone, since the affair was an 'open-secret' for years. But we dont. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2022 and Malones comment left many CNN staffers with a sense of uneasiness about the networks future. He realized that he was not going to become a professional tennis player. didn't, they say, have many progressive ideas. Graphic Policy does purchase items from these sites. 2-min read. One area where there is a lot of focus on developing technology to improve peoples lives, Read More The Bionic Lens Could Lead to Better Than 20/20 VisionContinue, Lockdown may be slowly lifting in some states, but in New Jersey, the shutdown is still in full force. CNBC posted a clip of the exchange on Twitter, but later deleted it. All rights reserved. Longtime Discovery chief David Zaslav, who will soon oversee CNN as part of his company's merger with WarnerMedia, called his future competitor Fox . Raising the corporate tax rate is not exactly conducive to growing revenue or earnings," Eberhart said. Brian Flood is a media reporter for Fox News Digital. Sadly, there are still many in America and not just billionaires like Malone who believe that holding Trump accountable for what he has done (and continues to do) to this country is a form of partisanship, and that such partisanship has no place in so-called balanced journalism. [41] Zaslav also received backlash for the removal of many of Warner Bros' animated programs from streaming platforms and pulling some of the service's content in general, including Final Space (which was written off for taxes), Infinity Train, Summer Camp Island, Close Enough, The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo and several hundred episodes of Sesame Street, among others, a decision Infinity Train creator Owen Dennis remarked rendered many of the programs effectively as "lost media". "Jeff is a good friend of mine, I cant speak to this issue, we dont own the company yet," Zaslav said. In his free time, he enjoys hobbies such as playing golf and tennis. During his tenure with DISCA, David Zaslav has brokered important deals. However, in November last year after news of the impending merger was announced, Malone made it clear that he was not a fan of the direction CNN had gone in under Zucker, who took the helm in 2013. David Michael Zaslav (born January 15, 1960)[1] is an American media executive who currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer and President of Warner Bros. [12] At the age of 8, he moved to Rockland County where he graduated from Ramapo High School. Keith Griffith For Dailymail.com [50], In 2017, Zaslav was inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame. Zaslav spearheaded the transaction between AT&T and Discovery to combine with WarnerMedia and create the combined Warner Bros. 'I told him, 'If you have done nothing that you believe was wrong, don't resign,' Cuomo told investigators. He is a Guardian US columnist. Zasav liked the mixture of educational opportunities and a fun college experience that he saw at Binghamton. [45] He also is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Paley Center for Media and the Mt. And when asked about the future of cable, the former protector of the cable bundle acknowledged that the medium is declining, but believes it will still stick around a lot longer than people think.. Biden has said he wants to raise the corporate tax rate to 28% from 21%. JIM RISCH FOR U.S. SENATE COMMITTEE - Republican, NCTA - THE INTERNET AND TELEVISION ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (NCTA PAC), Discovery Communications Llc/Discovery Communications Llc/President And Chief Executive Officer, Discovery, Inc/Discovery, Inc/President And Ceo, Discovery, Inc./Discovery, Inc./President, Discovery Communications/Discovery Communications/President & Ceo, Discovery, Inc./Discovery, Inc./President And Chief Executive Officer, Discovery Communications/Discovery Communications/Ceo. It, finally, is now in the finalizing stage of a $43billion sale of WarnerMedia to Discovery. 04/06/2016. The final straw came after New York AG Letitia James' office released damning evidence where text messages proved he was more deeply involved than he'd let on. In 2012, Zaslav was honored by the UJA Foundation of New York with the Steven J. Ross Humanitarian Award. For legal reasons, Discovery must avoid getting involved with WarnerMedia until the deal has been approved by the U.S. government. Under his leadership, Discovery began trading as a public company in 2008, became a Fortune 500 company in 2014, and acquired Scripps . Employment lawyer Debra S. Katz said the allegation against him was made by a former junior colleague at another network, and was unrelated to his brother, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo. Discovery, one of the world's largest and most diverse media and entertainment companies with market leadership across all programming genres, including premium scripted television and movies, non-fiction series, international, animation, global sports and news. Besides, how is it possible to report on Trump or Rudy Giuliani or any number of todays Republican leaders and not speak of the big lie, or say theyve broken norms if not laws? His older brother graduated from Binghamton and went on to Medical School. What investors need to know about Biden's economic vision. While there, he was excited by the entertainment law the firms practiced. Zucker was meant to keep a key role in the new company. He donated $250,000 to Trump's inauguration in 2017 and has made no secret of the fact that he, like Trump and millions of others, think CNN has become too left-wing and biased. So maybe Zaslav isn't offended by the transparent political bias of CNN. Discovery in April 2022. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, CNN analyst gives birth in bathroom after 13-minute sudden labor, US government-funded research tagged Americans for Twitter ban: report, Bill Maher says woke community wants to shut down debate on trans issues, New York Times, MSNBC, CNN slammed for claiming COVID lab leak theory was debunked, dialed back usingthe breaking news banner, Reliable Sources hosted by Brian Stelter, evaluating whether CNNs staffers can adjust. Media tends to be a reflection of where the country is. Zaslav's plan is to focus on making as much money as cheaply as possible. Same goes for Jason Kilars future, we presume. "David Zaslav: "The future of cable is that it's declining" but says "It offers a unique proposition to advertisers. Soon after he started with the firm, he began working with the new partner who was the general counsel for Warner Brothers. David Zaslav, president and CEO of Discovery Inc., revealed today his impending executive leadership picks as WarnerMedia and Discovery finalize the terms of their merger. $5,000. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. ', Nevertheless, the remark went viral, prompting mirth and mockery from both the left and the right, with one Twitter user remarking: 'Bias confirmed. Scrambling to walk back the comments, Discoverys team said Zaslav often uses the phrases the left or the right to reference current and future business initiatives. Despite the increased support from CEOs, Biden and the Democratic National Committee outraised their opponents in the second quarter. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for WarnerMedia). Dan Eberhart, a longtime prominent Republican donor, told CNBC he senses that wealthy financiers are going to start lining up behind Trump. Biden has said he wants to raise the corporate tax rate to 28% from 21%. August 1, 2022. As of 2020, he is 60 years old and belongs to the birth sign, Capricorn. The popular host's downfall came when documents revealed how heexchanged dozens of text messages with his brother Andrew's top aide, Melissa DeRosa. : Holiday Haunt," during the company's Q2 . Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley and the author of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few and The Common Good. Discussions centered around Andrew Cuomo stepping down prompted the governor to consider doing so in March, Cuomo said. With the financial stability, David Zeslav's family is likely to have prolific future ahead. I do. These dont come off as donations involving business but might be people Zaslav actually supports. Those two tend to split viewers, and Fox News is regularly No. "It's clear Team Trump needs to break the glass and pull the fire alarm. In December, a spokesman for Cuomo accused Zucker of knowing everything about his involvement in trying to help his brother while he navigated a sexual harassment scandal. Discovery Employee Political Affiliation. The PAC and Victory fund are also Jeffries. AP At this writing, shares in Discovery, Inc. traded just north of $24. In his contract extension, Zaslav also received stock options valued at $190 million. . Under Zuckers leadership, CNN cultivated an antagonistic relationship with former President Donald Trump and other prominent conservatives. Now he will oversee WarnerMedia. 2007 and 2009 was taken into account for this list merger . Listen to article. David Zaslav does not give an answer when asked about Jeff Zucker's future at a combined WarnerMedia and Discovery because the deal hasn't closed yet, Ken Auletta: "What's the future of cable? Next quarter the company projects $1.6 billion in profit, and for 2023, it expects to have operating margins of 21 to 22 percent, up from 18 to 20 percent in 2022. don't wanna make things that are political, topical, alienate Middle . CEO David Zaslav, who will lead the combined company after Discovery merges with CNN parent WarnerMedia later this year, made the remark in an interview with CNBC on Friday, prompting laughter from host Joe Kernan. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Its required. Loeffler is running for reelection to the Senate. According to TV ratings agency Nielsen, CNNs weekend ratings for the month were the lowest of the year in both the all-important 25- to 54-year-old demographic and total viewers. David Zaslav is a cable guy. Democratic Party. He worked with Discovery as an attorney. Discovery. Before becoming a high powered CEO, Zaslav worked in entertainment law as an attorney in a prestigious New York City law firm. Making purchases through these links helps support the site. May 18, 2022 7:20am. 'In terms of CNN+ we couldn't be more excited about the fact that they've been hiring great journalists,' he said, likely referring to the hiring of former Fox News anchor Chris Wallace. . 80.2 %-Republican Party. Wright responded and, in 1989, NBC Universal hired Zaslav to help build NBCs cable operations as a lawyer for the cable division of NBC and the companys head of Cable Business Development. According to sources cited by Rolling Stone on Thursday, the pair breached journalism ethics to help Cuomo behind the scenes in the same way that his younger brother Chris did. Discovery Inc. Chief Executive David Zaslav will remove executive layers and take direct oversight of key creative and news operations upon the company's merger with AT&T Inc.'s WarnerMedia . Despite weak ratings for Reliable Sources, the show still outpaced CNN prime-time hosts like Anderson Cooper and Don Lemon for the quarter in terms of total viewers, Nielsen said. Correction: Mediaite has learned Zaslav was referring to the left side of the Discovery portfolio, not the left side of the political aisle. David Zaslav the CEO of Discovery Inc., and Bob Iger, the former CEO of Disney who is now the company's executive chairman, are among the top executive Democratic donors from the second quarter.