CNN worldwide chief Jeff Zucker has known former Today show co-anchor Matt Lauer for decades. Zucker spent 25 years of his career at NBC, and was ep of the Today Show from 1992-2000. Was he aware of Lauer’s harassment over that time? He says he was not.
“Obviously it’s incredibly disturbing what we have learned in the last 24 hours from the reporting in the New York Times and Variety. And it’s incredibly sad. You have to feel for the women who have endured this, lived it and come forward,” Zucker said today during a panel at the Business Insider Ignition conference.
“No one ever brought to me a complaint or a suggestion of deviant or predatory behavior,” Zucker continued. “There was nothing like that. It’s incredibly heartbreaking.”
The discussion, moderated by Business Insider advertising editor Mike Shields, then turned to of State of the Union producer Teddy Davis, who Zucker said was fired by the company last week.
“We investigate all complaints immediately, and I’m sure every other network is doing this too,” he said.
Other topics of discussion included Pres. Trump. (“He has made American journalism great again,” Zucker commented), and the success of CNN’s digital assets, including Great Big Story, which he says is attracting a coveted younger, male audience with a median age of 27.
“CNN Digital dwarfs the competition. No one is even close. Even among millennials. Our digital is incredibly strong, profitable and successful,” Zucker added.