The government’s review of the deal is expected to be completed by the end of January. The culture secretary said the review would include questions about the “need for accurate representation of news and freedom of expression in newspapers”.
In a maneuver that surprised rivals, RedBird told IMI it would pay off debts directly to The Telegraph’s owners, scuttling an open auction already underway for the publications. If Mr. Zucker’s efforts are ultimately blocked by regulators, the auction would continue, giving his rivals a second chance to gain control.
Mr. Zucker, 58, was banned from CNN last year after failing to disclose a relationship with a colleague. Mr. Zucker was a highly visible media figure for decades and became a political lightning rod because of his complex past with former President Donald J. Trump. As president of NBC, he greenlit Trump’s reality show “The Apprentice” in 2003, turning the real estate developer into a national sensation. On CNN, Mr. Zucker broadcast hours of unfiltered coverage of Mr. Trump’s early campaign rallies; After Mr. Trump became president, CNN was attacked by conservatives for what they saw as anti-Trump bias.
Britons unfamiliar with Mr. Zucker’s track record were given a crash course this week in the pages of London newspapers, which have chronicled every twist and turn of the Telegraph saga with their trademark irreverence. The Telegraph’s lengthy interview was illustrated with a giant photograph of Mr Zucker standing grinning next to Mr Trump and his wife Melania, taken during his time at NBC.
If the Telegraph deal goes through, said Mr. Zucker, who lives in Manhattan and enjoys being part of the news business, he likely won’t have to handle day-to-day editorial matters. But he would oversee The Telegraph’s financial strategy, including possible expansion into the United States, where, Zucker said, he sees a market “for a true center-right media company.”
“If you have a brand that has the journalistic integrity of The Telegraph and the energy that British media has, which is really lacking in the US, then I think that’s a good combination,” he told The Telegraph.