D.C.-based Rebecca Kutler named MSNBC president

Rebecca Kutler was named president of MSNBC, dropping an “interim” designation from her title and taking on the mantle of moving the network forward “as it grapples not only with coverage of President Trump but splitting off from NBC in a spin-off being orchestrated by corporate parent Comcast,” reports Variety.

In remarks to staffers, states Variety, Kutler suggested that MSNBC would have to build its own newsgathering operation. “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,” she said. “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.”

D.C.-based Kutler joined MSNBC as senior vice president of content strategy in 2022, after a long run at CNN. According to Variety, during her time at the Warner Bros. Discovery-backed outlet, she not only worked as an executive producer for Don Lemon and John King, among others, but played a role in establishing personalities such as Abby Phillip, Van Jones, Chris Wallace, Audie Cornish and Kasie Hunt at the network. She was poised to have a senior role at CNN+, the streaming outlet that was scuttled after launch by CNN’s corporate parent.

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