A Discovery spokesperson told the Post that Zaslav didnt finish his thought, adding that he uses the phrase to organize his conversations around Discoverys business. Zaslav made a similar remark during an AT&T and Discovery joint news conference in May 2021, describing the left side of the joint company as everything other than the content. But times have changed. The development comes as the presumptive Democratic nominee has expanded his lead in the polls over President Donald Trump. Zaslav is also one of the highest-paid CEOs in media history. But not disclosing a consensual relationship rarely results in the defenestration of a network president. Frederick Smith, who runs the billion dollar Sinclair media empire that once offered to do anything for Trump, must not have meant with cash, donating $6,800 to the GOP and $5,800 to Democratic Sen. ChuckSchumer. Barry Diller, owner of The Daily Beast and Investopedia, gave $120,000. Same goes for Jason Kilars future, we presume. Farris Wilks, investor in the Daily Wire, gave $416,800 to Trump Victory and Club for Growth Action. ", 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.". [17] As president of Cable and Domestic TV and New Media Distribution, he oversaw content distribution to all forms of TV, negotiated for cable and satellite carriage of NBCUniversal networks and forged media partnerships.[18][19]. Zaslav also received $16,800 for a car allowance, $501 for home office expenses, $16,930 for personal security services, and $355,355 for private plane use. Pre-pandemic, David Zaslav's end-of-summer parties in the Hamptons were a legendary networking event for anyone in media. 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. His Greenwich Village home where the WarnerMedia deal was cooked up is now on the market, according to The Hollywood Reporter. On Friday morning, he shocked CNBC hosts by calling the network 'the leader of news to the left'. All that represents both serious business and serious persuasion disciplines that place the Regency house in Beverly Hills in a vastly different role. Simply log into Settings & Account and select "Cancel" on the right-hand side. JEFF ZUCKERS CNN EXIT: FIERY MEETING, SOMBER CONFERENCE CALL PROVE MANY STAFFERS ALREADY MISS FORMER BOSS, "So youve got a guy whos run it for nine years," Kernen said, referring to Zucker. 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 boss Jeff Zucker had nothing to do with rumors the network could shift to a nonpartisan approach. But we dont. Zaslav then declared his company is "the leader of news in Poland" and noted that Trump and Biden administrations have both helped Polish news channelTVN24 stay afloat despite the Polish government trying to shut them down. Zaslav made a similar remark during an AT&T and Discovery joint news conference in May 2021, describingthe left side of the joint company as everything other than the content.. President and CEO, Discovery David Zaslav speaks onstage during the "How many people survive after a merger? The merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery is reportedly set to be completed early in the spring. Zaslav wooed Scripps CEO Ken Lowe for a decade before consummating the $14.6 billion deal in 2018. He was granted no options. Definitely to the left. "He's masterful at presenting himself as an aw-shucks guy from Rockland County, but underneath in the middle of a deal he's more aggressive than one of the great whites on 'Shark Week,'" said a friend. Before her recent spending spree, Catz had given very few political contributions this cycle. 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. Is it a good one? 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.. Zaslav wondered how he would stack up against the likes of Netflix and Disney without more content and if he would be forced to sell if he couldn't get bigger to compete with those companies, with their seemingly bottomless pockets. 1. Even his wife, Clare Boothe Luce, herself a Republican member of Congress, chastised him publicly for his relentless coverage in Time of Barry Goldwaters GOP nomination for president. Too many people in power are gaming the system. People helping raise money for these Republican organizations told CNBC that the idea of taxes going up has struck a nerve with GOP donors and forced them off the sidelines after being largely absent throughout the 2020 election cycle. Zaslav, 61, his wife Pam, and his adult children, mingled with TV and movie industry friends, Page Six, CNBC and Fox News anchors, plastic surgeons, and interior designers. She owns The Atlantic, could still be the largest shareholder of Disney/ABCand funds many digital news nonprofits through the American Journalism Project, which her Emerson Collective helped to create. A web of other forces have been reported as influential in the demise of his CNN career: WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar, who currently oversees CNN, was said not to be a fan of Zuckers. But his new target list may include Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Reese Witherspoon or even the old Evans crowd like Jack Nicholson, Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman. In comparison, WarnerMedias HBO and HBO Max topped 69 million worldwide customers combined at the conclusion of Q3, according toAT&Ts third-quarter earnings results, which were released late last month. [51], In 2022, he was named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Warner Bros. He's also known for squeezing costs out of operations, which could concern WarnerMedia employees who've already been through years of restructuring under AT&T. They are doing that, and there's still time," Eberhart said. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Sprecher's total was the most he's given in the past two presidential election cycles. Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg fund swaths of lobbyists in Washington. Where do they give money for political gain around regulation and governance? But what sort of a time will it be? offers FT membership to read for free. Pamela Wasserstein, owner of Vox and New York magazine, gave $8,100. Lowe remains on Discovery's board and a personal friend, said a Zaslav friend. Change the plan you will roll onto at any time during your trial by visiting the Settings & Account section. Full transparency of political funding allows journalists to hold newsroom and social media platform owners to account. To figure this out, we are in desperate need of a real-time database for super PAC spending,along with transparency on which media and platform owners fund lobbyists. Not long ago when he dropped by his new home he ordered some changes: Michael Smith, While Evans principal scenario was to package the chemistry between filmmakers and top stars, Zaslavs social objectives may be more corporately focused. In his New York days, Zaslav liked friends like Ron Perelman, Lorne Michaels and Jeff Zucker to hang at his Hamptons parties. According to Deadline, he even made it known that corporate procedures had to be followed to the letter in regards to Zucker., Have a tip we should know? His sole donation to a Republican politician, U.S. Our system is awash in billions of political dollars. Jeff Zucker is considered to be the person responsible for the CNNs shift away from the nonpartisan outlet it was before his tenure. Despite the high energy, any display of incivility would result in banishment the towns most prominent attorney was permanently exiled for shoving his date. Scuba Certification; Private Scuba Lessons; Scuba Refresher for Certified Divers; Try Scuba Diving; Enriched Air Diver (Nitrox) Most importantly, they're already global. You may also opt to downgrade to Standard Digital, a robust journalistic offering that fulfils many users needs. His salary remained locked at $3 million. He noted that the recent run of corporate executives giving to Republicans is a sign that the campaign is fervently calling these donors. Usually you ditch people. David Zaslav, who led the merger with CNN and Discovery, donated over $240,000. ", JEFF ZUCKER OUT AT CNN AFTER FAILING TO DISCLOSE CONSENSUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH COLLEAGUE: I WAS WRONG. Where the country was when we launched MSNBC was much more fact-based and less divided.. In his contract extension, Zaslav also received stock options valued at $190 million, making him one of the highest-paid entertainment executives in the world. Discovery Chief Executive Officer David Zaslavs total compensation fell more than 17% in 2020, topping out at $37.7 million. He also said, per Deadline: I think overall wed probably be better off if we just had news networks in America, rather than those with an opinion element. [6][7], Zaslav was born to a Polish and Ukrainian Jewish family[8][9][10][11] in Brooklyn, New York. David Zaslav has been enjoying a stock runup after Wall Street analysts expressed increased optimism about Warner Bros. What investors need to know about Biden's economic vision. We need radical transparency from media and social media platforms on which politicians, super PACs and lobbyists they fund. According to campaignmoney.com, during the 2020 election cycle Zaslav donated $124,250 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee out of his total $253,250 in political donations. David The boss ofCNNs new parent companysaid on Friday the network was the leader in news to the left but his communications team soon scrambled to walk back the frank admission, insisting he wasnt talking about politics. "David Zaslav: "The future of cable is that it's declining" but says "It offers a unique proposition to advertisers. "I think of CNN in a totally different way than I thought about it years ago. 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. If the medium controls the message, then we are asking these questions to make out your character, media owners. Philip Anschutz, owner of the Washington Examiner, gave $168,500. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images for Discovery, Inc.). 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. Safra Catz, the CEO of Oracle, gave $125,000 in May to the Trump Victory committee, a joint fundraising operation between the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee. Other top-paid Discovery executives included Chief Financial Officer Gunnar Wiedenfels, who earned $6.9 million in total compensation, down from the $7.4 million he earned in 2019. Standard Digital includes access to a wealth of global news, analysis and expert opinion. "It's clear Team Trump needs to break the glass and pull the fire alarm. Eric Zinterhofer, board member of Univision, gave $102,000. Disclosure: Mathias Dpfner, CEO of Business Insider's parent company, Axel Springer, is a Netflix board member. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, A continuously updated summary of the news stories that US political commentators are discussing online right now. Legal Statement. He doesn't.". The results were surprising. Over the years, Diana Ross, Rod Stewart, and Harry Connick Jr. performed for an A-List crowd that included Jamie Dimon, Oprah Winfrey, Ron Howard, and tennis star Boris Becker, to name a few. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. [20][21], Zaslav became CEO of Discovery Communications in November 16, 2006, succeeding Judith McHale. Zaslavs comment drew a surprised response from CNBC host Joe Kernan, who wondered aloud if it was a reference to CNNs ideological bent. The total accounted loss was nearly $25 billion off the company's market cap. But even if that crowd decided to arrive, it would not include the late Evans or his panache (he died in 2019). The Discovery Channel started in 1985 with a documentary about the frigid waters of the North Atlantic. Yet, we know little about their political views or how that money is being spent. 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Jeffrey Sprecher, the CEO of the Intercontinental Exchange and husband to Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., who came under scrutiny for their stock dealings during the start of the coronavirus pandemic, gave nearly $1.3 million during the April-June quarter. Variety is a part of Penske Media Corporation. The Cook Political Report marks six Republican-held Senate seats in Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, Montana and North Carolina as toss ups. A missed golf game in February led to an email between Zaslav and AT&T CEO John Stankey, culminating in their boards signing a merger deal on Sunday night. He must also mobilize his charisma to keep his uneasy management in place during the one-year-plus period while lawyers and bankers hammer out legalities and obtain antitrust approval. CEO David Zaslav has quickly put his stamp on Warner Bros. Where the country was when we launched MSNBC was much more fact-based and less divided.. [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". Discovery. Later in the CNBC interview, Zaslav referred to growth on the right side of the company, which he described as including WarnerMedia-owned HBO and a growing portfolio of sports rights. [45] His daughter Ali Zaslav is a congressional producer with CNN.[53]. Mediaite regrets the error. AT&T CEO John Stankey, who oversees WarnerMedia, has been focused on the merger with Discovery, and is thought to be disinterested in any aspect of the CNN operation. What does media constitute? RobertIger, executive chairman of the Walt Disney Co. and who once ran ABC, gave over $1 million. Last week,Discovery reportedit had reached 20 million paying streaming subscribers worldwide by the end of September. Discovery executives are treating Zuckersunexpected exit as a fresh startfor CNN, according to the networks own media reporter, Brian Stelter. and other data for a number of reasons, such as keeping FT Sites reliable and secure, While Kernen did not clarify his comments, he went on to say that he sees sports as being on the right side of the Discovery portfolio. Stay up to date with what you want to know. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for WarnerMedia). [13][14] He was captain of the varsity tennis team.[15]. Email him here: joed@mediaite.com Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. Discovery CEO David Zaslav addressed the companys controversial decision this week to cancel releases for Batgirl and Scoob! "Squawk Box" co-anchor Andrew Ross Sorkintold Zaslav his phone was "blowing up" from CNN staffers who are "desperate to know" his personal views about the Zucker situation. Of those donations, $1 million went to America First Action, a pro-Trump super PAC. Senator from Idaho Jim Risch, amounted to a total of $5,600. [3][4][5] He previously served as the Chief Executive Officer and president of Discovery, Inc. beginning on November 16, 2006 and ending on April 8, 2022, when it was merged with WarnerMedia. All Rights Reserved. Zucker and Trump were friends in the 2000s as they teamed up on the wildly popular NBC reality show "The Apprentice," but they became bitter political enemies as Trump took over the Republican Party beginning in 2015 and romped to the White House. If only houses could talk: This one, however, is a battered shadow of its proud Regency past, its interior walls torn apart, trucks parked on its tennis court. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Over the years, he's secured the $1.6 billion European rights to the Olympics and the $2 billion PGA golf rights; bought Scripps Networks, owner of HGTV and Food Network; and launched OWN with Oprah Winfrey. Hilton Howell of Gray Television gave $17,600. Read Next: Prime Video Delays Citadel Trailer Drop Following Greece Train Crash, Almost Famous Star Casey Likes Cast as Marty McFly in Back to the Future: The Musical, AMC Quarterly Earnings: Losses Widen, Revenues Fall Despite Avatar 2 Box Office Success, The Weeknd Sets First Lead Role in Film He Co-Wrote and Produced, Opposite Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan, Woody Harrelson Slams COVID Set Protocols as 'Nonsense,' Urges Hollywood to 'Stop' Forcing 'Vaccination': Thats 'Not a Free Country', Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Writer Surprised by Terrible Reviews: I Was in a Low Spot and Really Sad About It, Super Mario Bros. Movie Is Releasing Two Days Early, Michael B. 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