Janelle Rodriguez is adding oversight of MSNBC dayside to her plate. Rodriguez, joined NBC from CNN in late 2014 as SVP of editorial for NBC News. She continues in that role while taking on her new MSNBC duties.
Rodriguez will report to both NBC News president Deborah Turness and MSNBC president Phil Griffin.
MSNBC’s pivot to straight news over progressive programming began last summer, when Andy Lack returned to the company as head of the NBC News group. As the 2016 election began picking up speed in the fall, the two networks began working more closely together and combining resources. Having one point person, Rodriquez, over the full day of NBC News editorial, is the next step.
Yvette Miley, who joined MSNBC as executive editor in 2009 before being promoted to SVP in 2012 will continue her shift managing MSNBC talent, on- and off-air, as well as leading diversity inititaitves for NBC News and MSNBC.
After canceling several progressive-leading dayside programs over the last year, the network had a very public split earlier this month with weekend host Melissa Harris-Perry who pointed the finger at Miley and Griffin for leaking an internal memo. Though unfounded, the series of tweets that followed expedited Harris-Perry’s messy departure from MSNBC.
The Rodriguez news was first reported by the Los Angeles Times.
Here’s Griffen’s memo:
Team,
I’m pleased to let you know that I’ve asked Janelle Rodriguez to officially lead MSNBC dayside coverage in addition to her duties as SVP Editorial, NBC News, and her leadership role at Nightly News. Janelle will report to both me and Deborah and will work closely with our dayside management team, including Izzy Povich, Pat Burkey and Rashida Jones.
As you know, Janelle has been partnering with the dayside team since January and has been essential to guiding the intense political coverage by both NBC News and MSNBC over the past few months. She is a strong editorial leader who fully understands what a formidable force we create when working together, combining resources, and sharing expertise across both networks.
MSNBC’s focus on breaking news in the day is a long game and we’re still in the early days, but these first six months prove we’ve got the best team in place to win. Thanks to your hard work and creativity, we’ve seen measurable success in a short time — both in the on-air coverage and in the ratings. Our teams are working overtime to produce smart, dynamic live coverage from primary states and major news events around the country. And it’s paying off: in February, MSNBC’s 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. dayside programming was up +166% in the demo, while FOX was up 10% and CNN was down 2%.
We see even greater potential for MSNBC’s future, and are building the foundation for a long-term strategy that extends far beyond the campaign season. Janelle is uniquely positioned to drive that effort in dayside.
Phil