Posted on 01/14/2025 9:41:17 AM PST by Red Badger
Rashida Jones is stepping down as president of MSNBC.
Jones, who has led the progressive cable news network since 2021, announced her decision to leave in a call with network staff on Tuesday morning, a source told Mediaite.
Rebecca Kutler, who left CNN in 2022 and was quickly hired by Jones to serve as senior vice president of content strategy at MSNBC, will be appointed interim president of the network. Kutler has overseen dayside programming and non-linear content (live events, streaming, digital platforms, films and podcasts) at MSNBC.
Media reporter Oliver Darcy reported in December in his Status newsletter that Jones was considering an exit after the inauguration of incoming President Donald Trump.
After an election year that saw MSNBC notch a series of ratings successes — including beating CNN for the first time for some major political news events — the network has seriously struggled since the Trump beat Vice President Kamala Harris and its mostly liberal audience tuned out in droves.
Jones has been credited for much of that success at the helm of MSNBC, where in 2021 she earned the distinction of being the first Black executive to lead a major television news network. She has also fielded criticism — there was the Ronna McDaniel mutiny, memorably, and huge paydays for Rachel Maddow and other stars fueled the perception that talent is in charge at the network.
According to a source, Jones first shared her decision to lead MSNBC with Mark Lazarus, the former chairman of NBCUniversal and the future CEO of SpinCo, the new company made up of Comcast’s cable properties, including MSNBC and CNBC, which are being spun off.
She then told top anchors and talent at the network before informing the full staff on Tuesday morning.
In a memo to staff, Jones said, “After four incredible years at the helm of MSNBC and 11 years at NBCU, I have made the decision to pursue new opportunities.”
“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,” she said. “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.”
She added that she will stay on with MSNBC for the “next few months” to help with the transition.
In his own memo, Lazarus extolled Jones’s tenure at the network and hailed Kutler as “a highly respected industry veteran with decades of experience in executive producing, news programming, and business development.”
The departure comes at a precarious time for MSNBC. Beyond the post-election ratings woes, staffers are panicked about the future of the network under SpinCo, a company borne out of Comcast’s desire to rid itself of cable assets seen as ever-shrinking businesses.
deckchairs starting to slide at SpinCo’s MSNBC?
Gee, she’ll be homeless in a week right? Wonder what her severance pkg includes? Bye! Not that I have clue who she is.
Different Rashida Jones.
Who will they get to replace her?
Getting out while the getting’s good.
Get a head start on all the others that will be fired soon................
How many are there?..............
Meet the new boss.
Same as the old boss............
“..How many are there?..............”
DEI hires at MSNBC???? Likely hundreds of em...
No, Rashida Joneses. He said wrong Rashida Jones....................
No mention of any DEI golden parachutes?
I am sure they exist though not mentioned.
MSNBC's Audience Sliced in Half as Viewers Flee Post-Election Yahoo, 27 November 2024.So "stepping down?" Like that Titanic captain "stepped down!" Like the boys in that bunker "stepped down?" Yup. Stepping down = being taken down.>CNN And MSNBC Ratings Plunge By Half, Reaching 30-Year Lows Yahoo Finance, 15 December 2024.
MSNBC Has Lost Nearly Half Its Audience Since the Election Daily Beast, 27 November 2024.
…she earned the distinction of being the first Black executive to lead a major television news network…
Go WOKE go broke!
Who watches MSNBC?
I don’t know anybody that will admit to doing so.
Most of television or cable is just a rich mans
propaganda arm that he loses money on just to get his
views forced on the weak brained.
Full disclosure I am in rural Hawaii and am on Satellite
which is very expensive so I’m very selective on what I watch.
There’s an actress with the same name.
Never heard of her, either!...................😁
“Jones has been credited for much of that success at the helm of MSNBC”
Yes.. Just look how WELL MSNBC has done since she assumed a leadership role!!
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