Jeff Zucker is to become the new president of CNN Worldwide, with current head Jim Walton stepping down in December.

The announcement of Walton's departure and Zucker's new post was made yesterday (Nov 29) by a spokesperson for the network, with Zucker later announcing that his main intentions when he assumes powers are to oust Fox and MSNBC as the most watched news broadcasters in America, whilst avoiding making CNN into an ideological network.

Zucker, the man behind the massive success of Today in the early 1990s, has also said that he plans to instill the network with more "passion," whilst maintaining the quality standard of journalism that the network sets itself. Telling reporters during a telephone conference shortly after the announcement, Zucker said: "We need more passion and more fans - and that shouldn't be mistaken for partisanship."

Zucker first found fame as the 'boy wonder' oversaw the Today show's rise to number one in the ratings chart when he was only 26-years-old. He later made President and CEO of NBCUniversal, although received criticism after the networks programming saw it drop from first to fourth in the ratings. This time round, Zucker has vowed that his new role will only see a ratings increase for CNN, whilst keeping with the network's unbiased journalistic style.