First on TVNewser: Michelle Jaconi is leaving NBC’s Meet the Press after 12 years with the program to become the executive producer of CNN’s State of the Union with John King.
The new role means Jaconi will go head-to-head with her former program on Sunday mornings. “CNN is at the top of its game, and John is the best political reporter of his time,” says Jaconi in the release. “I’m honored to work with John and his team to reinvent Sunday morning news.”
Jaconi started at MTP as an intern in 1997, and moved up to producer and political analyst.
“Michelle is a perfect fit for our team and our mission,” said King. “Her deep experience in smart and aggressive Sunday morning television speaks for itself.”
> Update: A tipster forwarded us this video of Jaconi giving a tour to a group of students at the MTP set.
Click continued to see CNN’s release…
Michelle Jaconi, a 12-year veteran of NBC’s Meet the Press, will join CNN Worldwide as executive producer of State of the Union with John King, the network’s bold new Sunday block of programming that blends newsmaker interviews, political analysis, national and world affairs, cultural segments, media analysis and commentary.
“From the moment we conceived of State of the Union, we knew we had to find an executive producer who appreciated the special role of Sunday talk shows,” said Sam Feist, CNN’s political director and vice president of Washington-based programming. “Michelle, with her experience in landing and producing brilliant interviews, will help us leverage the resources of CNN’s political team and newsgathering operation to create a program unlike any other.”
“Michelle is a perfect fit for our team and our mission,” John King said. “Her deep experience in smart and aggressive Sunday morning television speaks for itself. And her passion for making things relevant to the people who matter most — the families and communities outside Washington — is what we’re looking for in this key leadership role.”
“Joining CNN and State of the Union at this moment in history is an extraordinary opportunity,” Jaconi said. “CNN is at the top of its game, and John is the best political reporter of his time. I’m honored to work with John and his team to reinvent Sunday morning news. It’s the right time, the right network and the right reporter.”
Jaconi began working for Meet the Press, the longest-running television program in the world, in 1997, starting as an intern and working her way up to producer and political analyst. Over the past decade, she served as researcher, production associate and political and policy analyst for both Meet the Press and NBC’s Political and Polling Unit. She produced interviews with U.S. presidents and military leaders, foreign heads of state, numerous religious figures, as well as every candidate for president in the last two election cycles.
Jaconi served as a booker for NBC News Special Events with Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams, serving in that capacity for election nights and numerous award-winning broadcasts including the funeral of Ronald Reagan and the coverage of the Iraq war. She also helped produce NBC’s “Meet the Press Senate Debate Series,” which was a repeat winner of the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism.
She earned a degree in international policies from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and later earned her master’s degree with honors distinction. While earning her master’s, she wrote for PoliticsNow.com, a Web site that was co-owned by the Washington Post, ABC News and the National Journal Group.