After leading the cable news network for four years, MSNBC President Rashida Jones announced her resignation on Tuesday.
Top MSNBC anchors, executives, and network employees were informed of the news Tuesday morning by Jones, who became the first Black executive to head a major U.S. television news network. (NBCUniversal owns both MSNBC and NBC News.)
The interim president of MSNBC was Rebecca Kutler, senior vice president of content strategy for the network. In 2022, Jones brought Kutler on board.
While thinking back on our incredible journey and the numerous accomplishments we’ve made as a team, I made this decision over the holidays. In a note to employees, Jones stated, “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.”
The news follows Comcast’s announcement over two months ago that it would spin off the majority of its cable TV networks into SpinCo, a publicly traded company. MSNBC, CNBC, the USA Network, Oxygen, E!, SYFY, and the Golf Channel will all be part of the new business.
Following the Jan. 6 rioting at the U.S. Capitol and President Joe Biden’s inauguration, Jones assumed leadership of MSNBC in February 2021. On significant political nights, she propelled MSNBC to ratings victories.
She was able to strike new long-term contracts with Rachel Maddow and other prominent talent on the network. In addition, she invested in additional network digital products, developed a live event series, and relaunched a new mobile app and premium subscription series.
MSNBC’s ratings have declined after the election. With an average of 807,000 viewers each day and 1.3 million during prime time, the network was still the second-ranked cable network at the conclusion of the previous year.
With consumers shifting to streaming options like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, the cable television industry as a whole is at a turning point. Some cable channels are still lucrative and have strong cash flows in this business climate, but other brands have seen a sharp fall.
The new CEO of SpinCo, Mark Lazarus, commended Jones for her years leading MSNBC in a statement to employees.
In addition to leading MSNBC to record viewership and investing in nonlinear businesses, Rashida has skillfully led the network through a years-long, relentless, and unprecedented news cycle. In a memo to employees, Lazarus stated that MSNBC is in a strong position for the future.
During a network call, Lazarus informed employees that MSNBC will keep its name after the spin-off deal is finalized.
Jones oversaw and directed the production of cross-network special events, such as presidential debates and election night coverage, while he was senior vice president of NBC News and MSNBC.
Kutler spent twenty years with CNN, most recently as a senior vice president, before joining MSNBC.