CNN made official Thursday morning its decision to install Jeff Zucker, the former chief executive of NBC, as the new president of CNN Worldwide.
The announcement culminated a months-long search to find a replacement for Jim Walton, who had led CNN to record profits even as ratings for its American network, CNN/U.S., hit record lows. The network announced in July that Mr. Walton would step down at the end of the year.
Mr. Zucker will be expected to revive the American network to competitive standing against its rivals, Fox News and MSNBC, even as it maintains its position as a non-partisan news network opposing those speaking from the right (Fox) and left (MSNBC.)
He will arrive at CNN carrying the baggage of the collapse of NBC's own broadcast network, which descended from dominance in prime time to last-place status under Mr. Zucker, even as the company's cable networks, including MSNBC, thrived under him.
But Mr. Zucker also brings a reputation f or leadership in news, which he forged in two tenures leading NBC's “Today†show to dominance in morning ratings and profits.
The Time Warner chief executive, Jeffrey L. Bewkes, and his deputy, Phil Kent, the head of Turner Broadcasting, were known to have sought candidates with the right combination of management skills, programming expertise and journalistic credibility to oversee CNN's many channels and Web sites. There was a short list, and Mr. Zucker was on it from the beginning.
Walter Isaacson, who ran CNN from 2001 to 2003, preceding Mr. Walton, said Mr. Zucker was a smart choice because “CNN has great journalists, but what it has needed is an imaginative programmer who knows how to build good shows.â€
