Rashida Jones, president of MSNBC, announced she is stepping down from the network after four years at the helm.
On Tuesday, Jones sent a letter to her staff announcing her retirement and thanking them for their work.
“What makes this place truly special are the people at MSNBC who keep our viewers, readers, and listeners well-informed, provide important context, ask tough questions, and tell hard truths. Say the quiet parts out loud and always stick to the facts without fear or favor,” Jones wrote. daily beast.
Jones' resignation as president is effective immediately, but he will remain on the board in an advisory capacity until March.
Rebecca Kutler, 45 years old Originally from Pennsylvania Jones, who spent 20 years at CNN, will be Jones' interim successor. Jones lured Cutler away from CNN in 2022.
“The media industry was taking a cold, hard look at who we are, what we do, who is making the decisions, and how we can change them.”
In a statement to staff, Mark Lazarus — The incoming CEO of the new MSNBC spinoff company SpinCo praised Jones and her contributions to the network, saying, “Rashida has set years of unrelenting precedent while leading the network to viewership records.” “We've deftly navigated MSNBC through a news cycle without a lot of pressure,” and MSNBC is well-positioned for the future. ”
Jones first joined MSNBC in 2013 and gradually moved to oversee daytime and weekend programming. In February 2021, she was nominated as president.
At the time, just months after the death of George Floyd and the 2020 BLM riots, MSNBC anchor Jonathan Capehart hinted that MSNBC may have factored DEI into hiring and promotion decisions.
“What we had was an extraordinary group that was emerging at a time when the state and the media industry were taking a cold, hard look at who we were, what we were doing, and who was making the decisions. He was a talented television producer and executive. How can we change them?'' Capehart said.
NBC News, Daily Beast, washington postand USA Today All said in their own reports that Jones was the first Black woman to head a major television news network. Associated Press Similarly, it called her “the first black executive to lead a cable news network.”
When Jones first took office, MSNBC enjoyed high ratings following Joe Biden's inauguration as president and the Jan. 6 melee. Jones then persuaded star host Rachel Maddow to stay with the network, albeit on very favorable terms for Maddow, who earned $30 million for just one hour a week on the air. , achieved further success.
Jones also invited former White House press secretary Jen Psaki and Ronna McDaniel, but McDaniel withdrew after other network personalities publicly questioned her credibility on air. He resigned at about the same time.
But after Donald Trump's reelection, MSNBC's ratings plummeted, dropping 22% overall from October to November. Two weeks after the election, Maddow's ratings were at their lowest in a decade, with just 86,000 viewers in the coveted 25-54 demographic. The station's left-leaning Joy Reid, obsessed with her race, also hemorrhaged viewers, losing 47% of total viewers.
The overall numbers were so grim that management decided to spin off some of its cable assets, leading to the creation of SpinCo.
Maddow's ratings have since recovered, but she and Reid also recently had to renegotiate their contracts. Maddow took a $5 million pay cut, taking home $25 million, and was forced to host the show five nights a week. Mr. Reed received his share and has reportedly collected $3 million.
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