MSNBC Announces New President Who Was ‘Driving Force Behind’ Network’s ‘Nonlinear Growth’
Courtesy of MSNBC
SpinCo CEO Mark Lazarus announced on Wednesday that Rebecca Kutler was made president of MSNBC, effective immediately. Kutler served as the interim president of the network following the exit of Rashida Jones in January, who led the left-leaning cable news outlet for the past four years.
“Today, I am officially naming Rebecca Kutler President of MSNBC. In the short time that Rebecca was the interim president, it became clear to me that she has the big-picture strategic view and the right leadership skills to ensure MSNBC delivers on its brand promise and is positioned for growth during a time of industry change,” Lazarus wrote in a memo to staff, adding:
Since joining the network, Rebecca has played a pivotal role in the development of many of the network’s recent program launches, has been a driving force behind MSNBC’s nonlinear growth and strategic investments, and has introduced new and innovative audience-focused products. By constructing a first-rate newsgathering operation and assessing what’s required to be competitive in the marketplace, Rebecca and the team will ensure that MSNBC continues to be indispensable to our audiences and our partners.
Kutler previously served as MSNBC’s senior vice president for content strategy, having joined the network in 2022 after a run as an executive producer at CNN. Kutler also led MSNBC’s dayside programming.
Kutler takes the helm of the network as it’s being spun off from Comcast and decoupled from NBC News, meaning MSNBC will lose access to one of the country’s largest newsgathering operations. She will also face the continuing decline of cable television as new media platforms like podcasts and streaming continue to take away viewers, leaving MSNBC with an older audience.
Kutler addressed MSNBC leaders after the announcement was made and said, “Over the past two years, I have had the privilege of learning how all of you do what you do so well, and you’ve been doing it for 28 years, and you’ve built something truly incredible. MSNBC is now one of the most engaged brands in all of television. We ended 2024 as number one in cable news on both YouTube and TikTok. That is a credit to everyone on this call and everyone who has built this brand into what it has become over the last 28 years.” She added:
We have a new company, we have new leadership, we will have new offices, and we have a non-stop news cycle. I think it’s important that we all share in the exciting parts of what the year ahead is going to mean in terms of getting to build a new news organization – one that is built for us, for our needs first, to be part of a new company that is standing itself up, and that we have a seat at the table at the ground floor of that, and what that’s going to look like and we get to help determine that. It’s going to be hard, but it’s also going to be exciting and interesting and a really important time to do what all of us do.
MSNBC is looking to recapture viewers following a dip in ratings after Donald Trump’s November victory. Rachel Maddow has returned full-time to her prime time show, which has helped boost ratings and led to six straight weeks of growth in prime time.
