Breakfast with Jeff Zucker

When Jeff Zucker took over as the President of CNN, he started holding "breakfasts" with staffers.

He stated that he wanted to meet every single employee, 50 at a time, by invitation only. They were in both Atlanta and NYC.

Insiders say that the breakfast meetings stopped well before he met all the employees.

But, a few weeks ago, Zucker brought back the breakfast idea,

Sources tell FTVLive that all employees in Atlanta received an email that let them register for breakfast with Zucker. The email said that it would be on a first come first served, 100 at a time. It was voluntary and self-managed: the invite said you should not register if you've been before.

So 100 staffers broke bread with the CNN boss and got to hear him talk and ask a few questions.

FTVLive sources tell us that when Zucker was asked if Atlanta would remain CNN's "World Headquarters"....he paused and then answered that yes Atlanta would be the world HQ..... "for now."

A number of people at the breakfast said that the "for now" comment was the interesting part.

As FTVLive FIRST reported, Zucker has been moving a large number of CNN staffers and just about all the decision makers to New York. So, while Atlanta might be CNN's World HQ, it appears that Zuck might have other plans down the line. 

Sources say that Zucker was also asked about the elimination of the CNN "idea box," called Fuel, and weekly brainstorming meeting called Free Thinking Fridays. Both were backed by former SVP Sue Bunda and her team, which was decimated after she departed.

Insiders say that Zucker instructed his representatives at the meeting to reinstate the Fuel box and told people they could send ideas directly to him... "you have my email."

As for the reports that CNN will be part of the budget cuts that Turner is proposing across the board at all of their networks?

Zucker was asked about that as well at the breakfast. First off Zucker poo-pooed the title of the Turner cuts, The program to make the cuts is called "Turner 2020". Zucker said he thought it was a bad name but "we all have bosses." More surprisingly Zucker claimed to know as much about the 2020 program as the rest of the staff. He said that what he knows comes from same email that everyone got from Turner boss John Martin.

"Considering that Zucker reports directly to Martin, that's either an outright lie or the reports that Martin wants to replace Zucker are true," said one CNN staffer to FTVLive. 

Insiders say that the breakfasts are not doing anything for morale and that Zucker's trips to Atlanta have become much less frequent.

"I think most employees at CNN Center realize our days are numbered. Even if Atlanta does remain open in some form, we'll be the donkey's ass," said one CNNer to FTVLive.

Stay tuned....