Was John Malone, Discovery's largest shareholder, responsible for Jeff Zucker's ouster at CNN?
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Malone is a Fox News fan who has been public with his criticism of CNN's trajectory under Zucker, Mediaite's Colby Hall notes. As Discovery's largest shareholder, Malone would hold some power in the impending WarnerMedia-Discovery merger. “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,” Malone told CNBC last year. Hall points to Deadline's reporting on Wednesday of Zucker's ouster. "Discovery’s largest shareholder, John Malone, a critic of CNN, made it known that corporate procedures had to be followed to the letter in regards to Zucker, we hear," Deadline's Dominic Patten and Ted Johnson wrote. Hall adds: "A source close to Malone told Mediaite that the top Discovery shareholder, and chairman for Liberty Media, was 'not a fan' of Zucker’s and that while the undisclosed relationship with Gollust could (or should) have led to a suspension, it was a convenient way to force Zucker out at CNN." ALSO: AT&T CEO John Stankey and Discovery CEO David Zaslav sidestep questions about Jeff Zucker.
TOPICS: Jeff Zucker, CNN, David Zaslav, John Malone, John Stankey, Cable News
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