With a looming split from NBCUniversal, MSNBC will get a new president.
Rashida Jones told staffers at the cable channel Tuesday morning that she will exit the company after four years leading MSNBC, adding that she came to the decision over the holidays.
“I shared this decision with Mark, who has been incredibly supportive and has asked me to stay on for the next few months to help guide the network during this transitional period,” she wrote.
Mark Lazarus, who will be CEO of “SpinCo” once Comcast separates its cable TV channel business from the rest of NBCUniversal, said in a memo of his own Tuesday that Rebecca Kutler will step in as interim president of MSNBC, effective immediately.
“Rashida has expertly navigated MSNBC through a years-long, unrelenting and unprecedented news cycle, all while driving the network to record viewership and making investments in nonlinear businesses,” Lazarus wrote. “MSNBC is well-positioned for the future, and I am grateful that she will continue to support us during this transition.”
“Since joining MSNBC in 2022, Rebecca has been a catalyst for growth across our digital, social, and audio platforms, resulting in across-the-board record audience engagement,” he added of Kutler, who was most recently senior VP of content strategy for MSNBC. “She is a highly respected industry veteran with decades of experience in executive producing, news programming, and business development. With Rebecca’s track record of driving the development and expansion of several of the network’s marquee programs, it’s no surprise she was recently promoted to oversee all of dayside.”
On an editorial call with staff Tuesday, Lazarus also cleared up a big unanswered question about MSNBC’s future, according to an attendee of the meeting: He said that once Comcast spins off MSNBC, it will retain its name.
When Lazarus first met with top MSNBC talent last year following the deal announcement, he said he was unsure if it would do so.
A veteran NBC News and MSNBC executive, Jones took over the channel in early 2021 at a pivot point, succeeding its longtime president Phil Griffin (Griffin currently runs MSNBC star Rachel Maddow’s production company). She pushed MSNBC to diversify its business beyond TV programming during her tenure, including a substantial investment into podcasts, documentary films, and more recently into live events.
It was during her run that Maddow scaled back from hosting five nights per week to one in order to build more digital extensions for the brand (on Monday, MSNBC announced that Maddow would return — temporarily — to five nights per week). The channel also solidified its linear ratings lead over CNN, though a post-election viewership drought set in after Trump’s reelection.
Kutler, meanwhile, was intimately involved in the development of those new business lines for MSNBC, as well as new programming like The Weekend and Jen Psaki’s show.
The memos from Jones and Lazarus are below.
Team,
After four incredible years at the helm of MSNBC and 11 years at NBCU, I have made the decision to pursue new opportunities.
I shared this decision with Mark, who has been incredibly supportive and has asked me to stay on for the next few months to help guide the network during this transitional period.
I came to this decision over the holidays while reflecting on our remarkable journey and the many successes we’ve achieved together as a team. This has been the most rewarding chapter of my professional career and I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished, which has been made possible only by you.
This team is the best in the business, and I will miss being in the trenches (and control rooms!) with you. The people here at MSNBC are what make this place truly special, and our shared mission is what has always united us: to keep our viewers, readers and listeners well-informed, provide critical context, ask tough questions, speak hard truths, say the quiet part out loud, and always adhere to the facts, without fear or favor.
I am forever grateful for the shared experiences, the many mentors and mentees from over the years, coffee-fueled late nights and early mornings, and the lessons learned along the way.
Most importantly, I am more confident than ever that MSNBC is well-positioned for the future.
Rashida Jones
All,
As Rashida announced this morning, she has made the decision to step down as president of MSNBC after an extraordinary tenure leading the network.
I first met Rashida in 2018, and since then, I have been impressed by her business successes, exceptional producing skills and sharp editorial instincts.
Rashida has expertly navigated MSNBC through a years-long, unrelenting and unprecedented news cycle, all while driving the network to record viewership and making investments in nonlinear businesses. MSNBC is well-positioned for the future, and I am grateful that she will continue to support us during this transition.
Effective immediately, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Rebecca Kutler as the interim president of MSNBC, reporting directly to me. Rebecca is the ideal leader to guide us through this moment, and I look forward to collaborating with her as we shape our collective future together.
Since joining MSNBC in 2022, Rebecca has been a catalyst for growth across our digital, social, and audio platforms, resulting in across-the-board record audience engagement. She is a highly respected industry veteran with decades of experience in executive producing, news programming, and business development. With Rebecca’s track record of driving the development and expansion of several of the network’s marquee programs, it’s no surprise she was recently promoted to oversee all of dayside.
Please join me in expressing our gratitude to Rashida for her invaluable contributions to MSNBC and in congratulating Rebecca on her well-deserved appointment.
Mark Lazarus
English (US) ·