Jeff Zucker: NBC Tried to Buy Huffington Post for 18 Months

Former NBC Universal president and chief executive Jeff Zucker says NBC had tried to buy the popular blog Huffington Post for 18 months but “could never agree on price.”

According to Poynter, Zucker spoke Monday at Harvard's Shorenstein Center.   In his speech, he praised AOL's $315 million purchase, calling it "a very good day if you believe in news."   Zucker - who lost his job when Comcast acquired the network - also stressed the importance of "branded journalism," such as The New York Times,  embracing the new media universe.   "We want an immediate business model in place, but it doesn't work like that," he said. "Business models will evolve for news online."