Associated Press
[ Source: AP ]
MSNBC President Rashida Jones says she is stepping down after four years leading the liberal news network, her move coming on the eve of a second Trump administration and after changes in corporate ownership.
Jones, in a memo to staff on Tuesday, said that she is leaving to “pursue new opportunities.” She’ll be replaced on an interim basis by Rebecca Kutler, a former CNN executive who joined MSNBC in 2022.
In Jones’ tenure, MSNBC has generally displaced CNN as the second-rated cable news-focused network behind Fox News Channel. Its ratings are sharply down since Donald Trump’s election.
MSNBC’s lineup has remained fairly consistent since Jones, the first Black executive to lead a cable news network, moved from NBC News to take over there in 2021. Former Biden administration press secretary Jen Psaki is her highest-profile addition.
In November, Comcast announced it was breaking MSNBC and CNBC away from NBC News into its own company, led by executive Mark Lazarus, meaning Jones was answering to new corporate leadership.
At a morning meeting on Tuesday, Jones said she was “excited about what we’ve done. I’m excited about what comes next.” She shed little light on the timing, although corporate changes and political transitions often trigger changes in the news business.
