NBC Names Phil Griffin as New Head of MSNBC

Strategic Insights -

NBC News president Steve Capus has announced Phil Griffin as the new head of MSNBC, replacing Rick Kaplan. Griffin, 49, is a senior vice president at NBC News, overseeing the "Today" show. As the new head of MSNBC, Griffin will report to Capus, and will work closely with legal reporter Dan Abrams, who has been named as the general manager of the network.

Key Takeaways:

  • Phil Griffin, a 49-year-old senior vice president at NBC News, has been named as the new head of MSNBC, replacing Rick Kaplan.
  • Griffin will oversee the "Today" show and report to NBC News president Steve Capus.
  • Dan Abrams, a 40-year-old legal reporter, has been named as MSNBC's general manager and will report to Griffin.
  • Despite making ratings gains this calendar year, MSNBC remains stuck in third place behind Fox News Channel and CNN.
  • Weekdays in prime time, MSNBC's ratings rose 14 percent compared to last year, reaching about 360,000 viewers.
  • CNN and Fox News Channel are both down compared to last year but still far ahead of MSNBC, with 800,000 viewers for CNN and 1.7 million for FNC.
  • Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution has sold a package of box-office hits to The Hallmark Channel, including the Oscar-winning "March of the Penguins."

Statistics:

  • MSNBC's ratings rose 14 percent weekdays in prime time compared to last year, reaching about 360,000 viewers.
  • CNN and Fox News Channel have 800,000 viewers and 1.7 million viewers respectively, compared to MSNBC's 360,000 viewers.
  • The Hallmark Channel has acquired a package of box-office hits from Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution, including the Oscar-winning "March of the Penguins."

Sources:

  • (Associated Press, June .)
  • (The Hallmark Channel press release)
  • (Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution press release)