THE “Today” show’s top producer is being hit with another cancer scare just when the morning talk-show wars are about to heat up anew.
Jeff Zucker, executive producer of “Today,” is taking a six-week medical leave starting this week, NBC confirmed yesterday. Zucker, 35, will undergo surgery Friday to remove a “precancerous growth” from his colon, NBC said. The procedure is deemed necessary to prevent a full-blown outbreak of colon cancer, which Zucker fought successfully three years ago.
In fact, it was three years ago this month that Zucker received the shock of his life when he was diagnosed with colon cancer and rushed into surgery to remove a malignant tumor the size of a plum. Two months later, he returned to “Today” but continued weekly chemotherapy for several months after that.
This new diagnosis comes just as the “Today” show is marking 200 consecutive weeks as the nation’s top-rated network morning show.
Zucker’s six-week leave also means he won’t be at the “Today” show helm when CBS launches its bid to compete in the morning talk-show wars with “The Early Show,” anchored by Bryant Gumbel, who once worked for Zucker. “The Early Show” premieres Nov.1.
Zucker, who is married and has a young son, was unavailable for comment yesterday. He became executive producer of “Today” in 1992 at age 26.
Zucker told USA Today in November 1997, after his last bout with cancer, “I’ve been faced with a lot challenges at a young age, and I’ve been lucky at every turn. This was something else I had to face at an early age. It was a sudden reminder that life is filled with ups and downs. There are no guarantees.”
While Zucker survived his bout with colon cancer, Katie Couric’s husband, attorney Jay Monahan, was not so lucky. He died of the disease in January 1998.
In Zucker’s absence, the “Today” show will be run by Michael Bass, senior broadcast producer, and Linda Finnell, senior producer.