Zucker to stay with CNN through end of year

CNN President Jeff Zucker has decided to stay on with parent company WarnerMedia through the end of the year, ending speculation about whether he'll continue to lead the major news media corporation.

"The truth is, back in November and December I had basically decided that it was time to move on now," he told employees Thursday in announcing his decision. "But since then I've had a change of heart. And I want to stay. Not forever, but for another year. And I feel really good about this decision."

Despite his contract running through 2021, it was reported in October that Zucker was considering leaving the network giant after the 2020 election.

"The industry is changing, our company is changing, so I have a lot to think about," Zucker told staffers in late October. 

He had purportedly considered leaving the company after the 2020 presidential inauguration.

CNN's cable news has climbed in viewer rating is recent months, overtaking the Fox News Channel as the most watched.

Zucker has been the head of CNN since 2013. The Los Angeles Times, which broke the news of his decision to stay, wrote, "Zucker currently has no plans beyond 2021. Opportunities are likely to become clearer when the pandemic subsides and business returns to normal."