Jeff Zucker is coming back!
Sources tell me that today’s announcement that CBS News chief Ingrid Cipirian-Matthews is gone probably means one thing: the return of Jeff Zucker.
What’s going on here? Zucker — who ran CNN and NBC and desperately wants to return to power — is partners in real life Jeff Shell, former NBC Universal chairman. Shell is also now partnered with Zucker in Red Bird Capital, a media capital firm that’s been trying to buy something big.
At the same time, Shell is working hand in hand with David Ellison of Skydance. They just bought CBS in their Paramount deal. The deal won’t close until next year, and there’s a waiting period now for Paramaount’s Shari Redstone to find a better deal.