Jeff Zucker Expresses Interest in Buying CNN 'Some Day'

Former CNN boss Jeff Zucker expressed interest on Tuesday in buying the news network "some day if it were available," The Hill reports.

"We're certainly not looking at it, it's not for sale, what we've always said is any asset of that stature... CNN is a fantastic asset," Zucker, the CEO of investment vehicle RedBird IMI, said while speaking at an event. "Anything that came to market we would obviously look at."

He added again that CNN "is not something we're actively thinking about," noting "as far as we know, it's not for sale."

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Zucker said, "Some day if it were available, like any other great asset, we would look at it. That's not to say yes or no, it's just to say it's a great asset and if the time came, we would look at it."

His comments came in response to a question about a Variety report from the summer claiming that Zucker was trying to buy the network. The former CNN CEO denied the report through a spokesperson at the time.

"There used to be a time when Variety held its content and its reporters to a high standard of truth and facts in journalism, but those days are clearly over," said Zucker's spokeswoman, Risa Heller. "It is stunning to read a piece that is so patently and aggressively false. On numerous occasions, we made it clear to the reporter and her editors that they were planning to publish countless anecdotes and alleged incidents that never happened. They did so anyway. The piece is a total joke."

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