He was granted no options. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg fund swaths of lobbyists in Washington. His reputation for speed gave Discovery an edge over Comcast as a merger partner. "Sometimes it is difficult for his staff to keep up with his expectationsbut this is characteristic of a good leader who is on a mission," Discovery founder John Hendricks said of Zaslav. Discovery. The new entity will inherit the biggest share of cable viewers in the U.S., accounting for 29% of viewing time. But here is where it fell short. Zaslavs generous compensation plan continues the trend of rich COVID era paydays for media CEOs, some of whom made a show of forgoing a salary when the pandemic hit, only to quietly return to their former levels as the crisis dragged on. Compare Standard and Premium Digital here. U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during a roadside stop in Bedminster, New Jersey, U.S., July 26, 2020. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. Zucker's leadership of CNN since 2013 saw the network lurch farther to the left, particularly after the political rise of former President Donald Trump. In his contract extension, Zaslav also received stock options valued at $190 million. Variety is a part of Penske Media Corporation. I dont see how this ends well. In a digital age, there are many new ways to influence. university 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. The Discovery CEO also was early in laying foundations overseas, where rival media companies are now trying to bulk up. Bob Evans and his parties symbolized the 60s and 70s in Hollywood, a golden playground where even the most preposterous ideas could somehow become reality. If the medium controls the message, then we are asking these questions to make out your character, media owners. His reputation for speed gave Discovery an edge over Comcast as a merger partner. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Scuba Certification; Private Scuba Lessons; Scuba Refresher for Certified Divers; Try Scuba Diving; Enriched Air Diver (Nitrox) Its a mess. Were running our business," Zaslav said. 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. Story tips can be sent tobrian.flood@fox.comand on Twitter: @briansflood. The COVID-19 virus had accelerated cord-cutting that's causing cable TV channels to lose subscribers. By subscribing, I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 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. That bit of corporate sorcery has now prompted him to re-invent the Zaslav legacy indeed to re-shape it in the aura of the Evans legacy. Zaslav had a hand in the launch of MSNBC, another left-leaning network, during his time as an NBC executive. The Discovery CEO also took aim at Fox News, describing the conservative outlet as much more of an advocacy network than a news network. I think overall wed probably be better off if we just had news networks in America, Zaslav said. And John Malone, a top shareholder at CNNs soon to be parent Discovery, has made clear he disagrees with Zuckers vision for CNN. We support credit card, debit card and PayPal payments. The parties spilled onto the beach and ended with fireworks and shark-shaped cake made by the "Cake Boss.". Dominic Patten / Deadline: David Zaslav Praises CNN Adding More GOP Voices; Balance Strategy Is Important, Warner Bros Discovery Boss Says. Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. "Jeff is a good friend of mine, I cant speak to this issue, we dont own the company yet," Zaslav said. What does media constitute? You may change or cancel your subscription or trial at any time online. 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? Jeff Zucker is considered to be the person responsible for the CNNs shift away from the nonpartisan outlet it was before his tenure. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, The company did not break out Discovery+ numbers specifically, so this tally includes its other, much smaller SVOD platforms, but the majority of that 20 million figure is made up of Discovery+ numbers, per Discovery. Barr also said Zaslav did not give an answer when asked about current CNN boss Jeff Zuckers future at the soon-to-be combined company. Who is David Zaslav? Media tends to be a reflection of where the country is. Mediaite regrets the error. Before her recent spending spree, Catz had given very few political contributions this cycle. Our system is awash in billions of political dollars. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. This story has been shared 108,510 times. The executive who is soon to take over CNN appeared to make a candid admission about where he sees the network. The government needs to catch up and revamp how we track media money in politics. RobertIger, executive chairman of the Walt Disney Co. and who once ran ABC, gave over $1 million. 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. CNN, like MSNBC, serves liberal audiences. 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. That was down from the $45.8 million that Zaslav pulled in the pr Anna Wintour, editor of Vogue, gave $6,000. Zaslav spearheaded the transaction between AT&T and Discovery to combine with WarnerMedia and create the combined Warner Bros. [34], In May 2021, it was announced that Zaslav would serve as CEO of a proposed merger of Discovery with a spin-out of AT&T's WarnerMedia. David Zaslav, President and Chief Executive Officer of WBD, commented: With the major restructuring decisions behind us, this year we are focused on building and growing our businesses for the future, and were off to a great start. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Disclosure: Mathias Dpfner, CEO of Business Insider's parent company, Axel Springer, is a Netflix board member. Zaslav is on the board of Mexican programming giant Televisa, now merging with Univision. James Zelter, co-president and CIO of Apollo Global Management that owns Yahoo News, gave $35,900 to Republicansand $25,200 to Democrats. Amanda Edwards/Getty Images for Discovery, NOW WATCH: Customers expect CEOs to take action against climate change now more than ever, Unilever executive says, would unite Discovery with AT&T's WarnerMedia, which could concern WarnerMedia employees, "move-fast and break things" style of the WarnerMedia's current chief executive, Jason Kilar. [45] His daughter Ali Zaslav is a congressional producer with CNN.[53]. For a full comparison of Standard and Premium Digital, click here. 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. Correction: Mediaite has learned Zaslav was referring to the left side of the Discovery portfolio, not the left side of the political aisle. didn't, they say, have many progressive ideas. Market data provided by Factset. If youd like to retain your premium access and save 20%, you can opt to pay annually at the end of the trial. 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. Zaslav was speaking at the Paley International Council Summit when he made the remarks, which were covered by several news outlets virtually attending the media event. : Holiday Evans fought valiantly for Paramount to release Last Tango in Paris and Tropic of Cancer. Check if your Of the top 10 political donors among S&P 500 CEOs, a majority gave big to GOP groups in the second quarter, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics. Why? Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Henry Kravis and George Roberts, owners of Business Insider and the German news empire Axel Springer and who recently purchased Politico and co-founded KKR Private Equity, collectively gave over $1.2 million. Only 60 people in media leadership had donated more than$2,000 to a political candidate since 2019. [33], Under his leadership, Discovery began trading as a public company in 2008, became a Fortune 500 company in 2014 and acquired Scripps Networks Interactive in 2018. 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. He's used his salary to buy some of the most sought-after real estate around, buying the Hollywood home of "The Godfather" film director Robert Evans for $16 million and snapping up Conan O'Brien's apartment on Central Park West. [9][10][47] In 2012, he received the Steven J. Ross Humanitarian Award from the UJA-Federation of New York[48] which honors people of vision, energy and sustained achievement in the entertainment, media and communications industries. David Zaslav, Hollywoods new mogul. [42][43][44], Zaslav serves on the boards of Sirius XM, The Cable Center, Center for Communication, Grupo Televisa, Partnership for New York City, Syracuse University and USC Shoah Foundation. "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,"Malonesaid in an interview that aired on CNBC. In his New York days, Zaslav liked friends like Ron Perelman, Lorne Michaels and Jeff Zucker to hang at his Hamptons parties. Discovery, weighing in on content, forcing out executives and cutting costly projects like CNN+ while schmoozing with top Hollywood talent. Discovery, home to Animal Planet and unscripted shows like 90 Day Fianc, may now become Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. A Real Clear Politics polling average shows Biden ahead of Trump by close to 10 points. Running WarnerMedia's top-tier assets like HBO and spending big on movies and shows is a far different game from the unscripted business that's Discovery's bread and butter. Senator from Idaho Jim Risch, amounted to a total of $5,600. "I think of CNN in a totally different way than I thought about it years ago. The answer would soon come. Media tends to be a reflection of where the country is. That employee makes $66,689, so it would take them 565 years to equal Zaslavs annual compensation. She also wrote a $46,100 check to the McCarthy Victory Fund in June. 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? But storm clouds were on the horizon. All that represents both serious business and serious persuasion disciplines that place the Regency house in Beverly Hills in a vastly different role. WBD President and CEO David Zaslav spent time with Abrams before the close of the merger earlier this year and is a fan. 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. His backers have praised him for keeping his average cost of content to about $400,000 an hour while his rivals now spend $5 million and more. In May, I published anownership indexof the top 176 U.S. media organizations. Sprecher also gave at least $106,500 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the official campaign arm of Republicans running for Senate seats. Stay up to date with what you want to know. [13][14] He was captain of the varsity tennis team.[15]. Loeffler is running for reelection to the Senate. The lack of transparency in super PAC donations loomed as we scoured the FEC database. It is nearly impossible to know where the money is spent,even if you can run down the roster of donors. His sole donation to a Republican politician, U.S. One Warner executive told friends that Zaslav's unexpected arrival would bring structure and order versus the "move-fast and break things" style of the WarnerMedia's current chief executive, Jason Kilar, whose future with the company is still unclear. When Discovery assumes control of CNN, Zaslav will have a key decision to make right out of the box as it will have to replace newly-resigned CNN chief Jeff Zucker. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Last November, Zaslav told Deadline that he would take a hands-on approach at CNN and other WarnerMedia properties. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, whose media giant is set to close itsmerger with CNNs owner WarnerMediathis spring, made the surprise remark during a discussion about the networks future days after theabrupt resignation of the networks president, Jeff Zucker. Jeff Bezos, who owns The Washington Post, gave but $15,000over the past20 months through his PACs Blue Origin and Amazon while his net worth grew to near $200 billion. LIBERTY MEDIA CHAIRMAN CHIDES CNN TO 'ACTUALLY HAVE JOURNALISTS' FOLLOWING AT&T-DISCOVERY MERGER, "None of us had anything to do with it. Spurred by the rapid proliferation of social media platforms, with questionable content,and a formerpresident who pummeled our free press repeatedly, its no wonder Americans are left wary and our information ecosystem is in shambles. ", Warner Bros. International Television Production, Warner Bros. Most importantly, they're already global. [35][36] Zaslav's executive compensation package includes an annual salary of $3 million with an annual $22 million bonus. 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. "It's clear Team Trump needs to break the glass and pull the fire alarm. The results were surprising. 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. Brian Flood is a media reporter for Fox News Digital. But we dont. [20][21], Zaslav became CEO of Discovery Communications in November 16, 2006, succeeding Judith McHale. She has written extensively about the news media. Zaslav is on the board of Mexican programming giant Televisa, now merging with Univision. And maybe, those legendary parties might start again. We want to hear from you! I found these figures wanting. Last year, Zaslav vowed to take a hands-on role in the operations of CNN. 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. Zaslavs comment drew a surprised response from CNBC host Joe Kernan, who wondered aloud if it was a reference to CNNs ideological bent. David Zaslav, who led the merger with CNN and Discovery, donated over $240,000. Under Zuckers leadership, CNN cultivated an antagonistic relationship with former President Donald Trump and other prominent conservatives. Too many people in power are gaming the system. Follow him on Twitter: @joe_depaolo. The parties within its walls were glitzy, the arguments were epic and the scandals provided perfect gossip fuel. [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. 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