New York, Feb 28 (AP) Chris Licht, most recently Stephen Colbert's top producer at CBS, was appointed Monday as the new head of CNN, where he's expected to take over in May.

Licht's expected appointment to replace Jeff Zucker as chief of CNN was widely reported over the weekend.

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Before moving into late-night TV, Licht was the chief executive behind the “CBS This Morning" news program and “Morning Joe” on MSNBC.

The appointment was made by David Zaslav, Discovery CEO, who is expected to take over the merged company when Discovery's acquisition of CNN parent WarnerMedia is approved this spring.

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Zaslav called Licht a “dynamic and creative producer, an engaging and thoughtful journalist, and a true news person.”

He said Licht is “a highly principled individual who is trusted, hard-working and makes every organisation stronger, more innovative and more cohesive.”

Zucker was forced out earlier this month, after admitting that he had violated corporate rules by not revealing his romantic relationship with a CNN marketing executive, Allison Gollust. Gollust later exited the company, too.

Licht, in a statement, promised to uphold and build upon CNN's legacy.

“I am looking forward to returning to my journalism roots,” he said.(AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)