Rashida Jones, the president of MSNBC, announced Tuesday that she is stepping down after four years at the helm of the cable news network.
Jones, who made history as the first Black executive to lead a major U.S. television news network, made the announcement Tuesday morning to MSNBC’s top anchors, executives and network employees. (MSNBC and NBC News are both units of NBCUniversal.)
Rebecca Kutler, the network’s senior vice president of content strategy, has been named interim president of MSNBC. Jones, who recruited Kutler to the network in 2022, plans to remain in an advisory role through March.
“I made this decision over the holidays while reflecting on our remarkable journey and the many successes we have 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 was made possible only because of you,” Jones said in a memo to staff.
The announcement comes nearly two months after Comcast announced plans to spin off most of its cable TV networks into a separate publicly traded company, currently known as SpinCo. The new company will include MSNBC, CNBC, USA Network, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and Golf Channel.
Jones took over as CEO of MSNBC in February 2021 following the inauguration of President Joe Biden and the January 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol. She led MSNBC to ratings triumphs on major political nights.
She retained and signed new long-term contracts with the network’s top talent, including Rachel Maddow. She also created a series of live events; relaunched a new mobile application and a series of premium subscriptions; and invested in other digital offerings on the network.
MSNBC experienced a post-election audience decline. The network nonetheless finished second on cable last year, averaging 807,000 viewers per day and 1.3 million viewers in prime time.
The cable TV industry as a whole is at a crossroads as consumers turn to streaming alternatives such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. In this economic environment, some cable channels remain profitable with healthy cash flows, but other brands have declined rapidly.
In a note to staff, Mark Lazarus, SpinCo’s new chief executive, praised Jones for his years at the helm of MSNBC.
“Rashida expertly led MSNBC through a relentless, unprecedented news cycle that spanned years, while leading the network to record viewership and investing in non-linear businesses. MSNBC is well positioned for the future,” Lazarus said in a memo to staff.
Lazarus told staffers on a network call that MSNBC will retain its name once the spinoff transaction is complete.
Jones previously served as senior vice president at NBC News and MSNBC, overseeing and directing the production of cross-network special events, including election night coverage and presidential debates.
Kutler came to MSNBC from CNN, where she spent two decades, most recently as senior vice president.
