Chris Licht Bio, Age, Parents, Wife, Children, Net Worth – Christopher Andrew Licht, born on October 22, 1971, is a prominent American television newsman and producer. He has held various key roles in the media industry throughout his career.
Chris Licht Biography
Licht is most recognized as the showrunner and executive producer of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” and served as CBS’s executive vice president of special programming. He played a significant role in launching MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and played a part in the reboot of CBS’s “This Morning.” Additionally, he served as the chairman and CEO of CNN from May 2022 to June 2023.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism and political science from Syracuse University’s S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in 1993. In recognition of his contributions to the field, one of the TV news control rooms at Syracuse’s Dick Clark Studios and Alan Gerry Center for Media Innovation was named after him in 2014.
Licht began his career at KNBC in Los Angeles during the time of the O.J. Simpson trial. He also worked with local NBC affiliates in the Los Angeles and San Francisco markets. In 2005, he joined MSNBC as the executive producer for “Scarborough Country” and went on to become the founding executive producer of “Morning Joe,” which he co-created with host Joe Scarborough.
In 2011, Licht joined CBS and was appointed vice president of programming at CBS News. He served as the executive producer of “CBS This Morning” from its launch in 2012 and later joined “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” in 2016. Under his leadership, “CBS This Morning” achieved unexpected success, propelling CBS to its most competitive position in the morning show race in nearly three decades. Licht allowed the show’s hosts, Gayle King, Charlie Rose, and Norah O’Donnell, the freedom to discuss news events and share personal stories, contributing to the show’s popularity.
Following the resignation of Jeff Zucker, the president of CNN, Licht was appointed as his successor in February 2022. In his memo to CNN employees on his first day as chairman and CEO, he emphasized the importance of regaining trust by upholding the best practices in journalism and promoting diverse viewpoints.
During his tenure, CNN made changes to its approach, including limiting the use of “breaking news” to stories of significant importance and aiming to change negative perceptions of the network among Republicans. However, Licht faced criticism when several long-time correspondents, including Brian Stelter, John Harwood, and Jeffrey Toobin, had their contracts terminated, leading to a perceived shift in the network’s tone.
Licht’s tenure at CNN came to an end in June 2023 when he was fired following employee dissatisfaction, as revealed in an article published by The Atlantic.
Throughout his career, Licht has achieved notable accolades. As the executive producer of “CBS This Morning,” the show received a Peabody Award and three Emmy Awards. He was co-nominated for three additional Emmy Awards in 2015 and contributed to the show’s Emmy win for Outstanding Investigative Journalism in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast the following year.
In 2010, Licht faced a near-fatal cerebral hemorrhage while driving in Washington, D.C. He chronicled his experience and the lessons he learned in his book titled “What I Learned When I Almost Died: How a Maniac TV Producer Put Down His BlackBerry and Started to Live His Life,” which was published in 2011.
Chris Licht Age
As of 2022, he was 51 years old.
Chris Licht Parents
His parents are Susan Mary and Dr. Peter David Licht.
Chris Licht Wife
He is married to Jenny Blanco.
Chris Licht Children
He has two children.
Chris Licht Net Worth
His net worth is not less than $15 million.
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