Jonathan Wald is leaving CNN and joining MSNBC as svp of programming and development, reporting to MSNBC president Phil Griffin. Wald has been with CNN since 2010, joning as executive producer of Piers Morgan Tonight. Most recently he’s been overseeing CNN Tonight with Don Lemon.
“In this new role, Jonathan will help us build on MSNBC’s success in primetime, develop new programming including long-form, and special events,” writes Griffin in a note to staff, obtained by TVNewser.
It’s a return to the NBC News family for Wald, where he got his start in TV news as a desk assistant in 1983 while still in college.
He went on to work in local news, before returning to NBC in 1993 as a field producer. Wald worked his way up through the NBC News ranks to ep of NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, before moving to the Today show where he was ep for 16 months until 2002.
Wald spent three years at CNBC, from 2006-2009, as senior vice president.
Griffin says Wald will “partner with Janelle Rodriguez, who will continue to lead MSNBC dayside (the best growth story in television news), and, of course, Nightly News.”
Here’s Griffin’s full note:
Team,
I’m excited to announce that Jonathan Wald will join MSNBC on March 6 as SVP of Programming and Development, reporting to me. He joins us from CNN where he was executive producer of CNN Tonight and Piers Morgan Tonight.
Jonathan is a uniquely talented producer. Some of you will remember him from his years at NBC, when he was executive producer of TODAY and Nightly News, and SVP of business news programming at CNBC during the height of the financial crisis.
In this new role, Jonathan will help us build on MSNBC’s success in primetime, develop new programming including long-form, and special events. He is joining MSNBC at a pivotal time. We’ve had an outstanding year. MSNBC was the fastest growing cable network in primetime for 2016. And this year we’re off to a great start – for February MSNBC is the #2 cable network overall in prime, handily beating CNN.
To help us continue that momentum, Jonathan will work closely with the MSNBC leadership team. And he’ll partner with Janelle Rodriguez, who will continue to lead MSNBC dayside (the best growth story in television news), and, of course, Nightly News.
It’s great to have Jonathan back in the NBC family. Please join me in welcoming him to MSNBC.
Thank you,
Phil