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Jeff Zucker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jeffrey Zucker (born April 9, 1965) is an American television executive, and President & CEO of NBC Universal. He is a 5-time Emmy Award winner known for his aggressive promotion of his network's programs. In 1996, he married Caryn Stephanie Nathanson Zucker, then a supervisor for Saturday Night Live,[1] with whom he has four children.
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Zucker, who is Jewish, was born in Homestead, Florida,[2] and moved to Miami, Florida, when he was a child. His father was a cardiologist, and his mother, Arlene, was a school teacher. He has a younger sister, Pam. Zucker did not speak until he was 3, but spent countless hours putting together 500-piece puzzles.[3] By age 5, he discovered tennis, and he later became a top-ranked player in Florida.
He was captain of the North Miami Senior High School tennis team, editor of the school paper, and a teenage freelance reporter ("stringer") for The Miami Herald. The 5-foot, 6-inch Zucker also served as president of his sophomore, junior, and senior classes, running on the slogan: "The little man with the big ideas."[4] Before college, he took part in Northwestern University's National High School Institute Program for journalism.
He went on to Harvard, serving as President of the school newspaper, The Harvard Crimson, during his senior year, surprising many who thought the post would go to Michael Hirschorn. As President of the Crimson, Zucker encouraged the decades-old rivalry with the Harvard Lampoon, headed by future NBC colleague Conan O'Brien. (The Crimson's editors now joke that since Zucker is O'Brien's boss, those who want to get ahead in life should choose to join the Crimson over the Lampoon). He graduated in 1986 with a B.A. in American History.
When he was not admitted to Harvard Law School, he was hired by NBC to research material for its coverage of the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, where he worked for host Bob Costas.
In 1989, he was a field producer for The Today Show, and at 26 he became its executive producer in 1992.[5] He introduced outdoor rock concerts on the show, and incorporated a mass live audience, most prominently through a window on the city. Under his leadership, Today was the nation’s most-watched morning news program, with viewership during the 2000-01 season reaching the highest point in the show’s history.
In 2000, he was named NBC Entertainment's president.[6] During that time he oversaw NBC's entire entertainment schedule. He kept the network ahead of the pack by airing the gross out show Fear Factor, squeezing extra years out of the Friends crew, and signing Donald Trump for the reality show The Apprentice. The Zucker era produced a spike in operating earnings for NBC, from $532 million the year he took over to $870 million in 2003.
Under Zucker's leadership, NBC was the top-rated network among the key adults 18-49 demographic for 4 consecutive seasons, during three of which NBC led key demographics in every major daypart, a feat no other network has ever achieved. Zucker also put his mark on the network with Las Vegas, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and Scrubs. He originated the idea of airing "Supersized" (longer than the standard 30 minute slot) episodes of NBC's comedies and revitalized the network's summer programming with original fare that paved the way to year-round programming. Also on Zucker's watch, Bravo generated ratings gains and Telemundo revitalized its prime time lineup and began to show significant growth.
In December 2003, he was promoted to president of NBC's Entertainment, News & Cable Group as well.
Following the merger with French media empire Vivendi Universal, he was promoted to president of its Television Group in May 2004. Zucker's responsibilities, which already included NBC's cable channels, were expanded to include TV production as well as the USA, Sci-Fi, and Trio cable channels.
On December 15, 2005, Zucker was again promoted by NBC, to Chief Executive Officer of NBC Universal Television Group behind Robert Charles Wright, vice chairman of General Electric and chairman & CEO of NBC Universal.[7]. Zucker was responsible for all programming across the company’s television properties, including network, news, cable, and Sports and Olympics. His responsibilities also include the company’s studio operations and global distribution efforts. Zucker reports to Bob Wright.
Zucker was promoted on February 6, 2007, to the position of president & CEO of NBC Universal, replacing Bob Wright, who held the position at NBC Universal, and before that, at NBC, for 21 years. [8]
Zucker was diagnosed at age 31 with colon cancer, worked through two bouts of it, and had a large part of his colon removed, then endured more than a year of chemotherapy. He scheduled his chemo treatments for Friday afternoons, so he could be back at the office on Mondays.[9] Zucker's cancer is in remission, but he still thinks about its impact. "It put my life into perspective," he says. "I want to win and win honorably. But heck, it's only television."
- Bio and photo of Jeff Zucker — Crain's New York Business 40 under 40 — 1992
- NBC Universal Bio of Jeff Zucker
- GE Bio of Jeff Zucker
- "Jeff Zucker — NBC's Superstar Entertainment Chief," by Kaya Morgan, 2003
- "Jeff Zucker appointed chief of NBC Universal," 2/6/07
- "Dialogue: Zucker on Silverman, Murdoch, movies," 7/31/07