Ronna McDaniel’s Tenure At NBC News Abruptly Ends
Issue #147 — The rapid dismissal of the former RNC chair has turned the spotlight on the NBCUniversal News Group, which has been operating without turmoil for the last few years.
Ronna McDaniel’s Tenure At NBC News Abruptly Ends
It was just a matter of time before NBC News/MSNBC's internal machinations became the talk of the media world. 2024 is shaping up to be that year, as Fox News and CNN dominated 2023 due to the Dominion Voting Systems settlement and Chris Licht’s immolation, respectively.
The latest saga to befall NBC News/MSNBC follows the onboarding and rapid offboarding of Ronna McDaniel, the former Republican National Committee chair.
NBCUniversal News Group chairman Cesar Conde succumbed to pressure from its staff, particularly MSNBC’s on-air hosts, who decried McDaniels's hiring on their respective programs based on her attacks on the news division when she was leading the RNC during the Donald Trump presidency years and her attempts to aid in overturning the 2020 presidential election.
In a memo to news group staffers on Tuesday, Conde said, “After listening to the legitimate concerns of many of you, I have decided that Ronna McDaniel will not be an NBC News contributor.”
He added, “No organization, particularly a newsroom, can succeed unless it is cohesive and aligned. Over the last few days, it has become clear that this appointment undermines that goal.”
Conde took full responsibility for McDaniel’s hiring but reaffirmed the news division’s efforts in finding “diverse viewpoints on our programs, and to that end, we will redouble our efforts to seek voices that represent different parts of the political spectrum.”
Since McDaniels’ departure, network heads have been in damage control mode, trying to reassure staffers of NBC News’ journalistic mission while gauging the waters to check the temperature of how colleagues perceive the current executive leadership.
Conde’s position within the NBCUniversal universe does not appear to be in jeopardy due to the McDaniels debacle. However, how the events unfolded may have created cracks in the foundation of his leadership style.
Where he goes to find those divergent voices, particularly in this election year, will be something that will be closely followed by media watchers and on-air staffers who have now used their collective clout to become the unofficial Ombudsmen for the news division.
(The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The New York Times)
Ronna McDaniel
Ronna McDaniel: MSNBC on-air staff in revolt over hiring. (Los Angeles Times)
Ronna McDaniel: MSNBC on-air staff in revolt over hiring. (Variety)
Ronna McDaniel: How should networks cover Republicans? (The Wrap)
Ronna McDaniel: Anchors are publicly calling out executives. (Variety)
Ronna McDaniel: Anchors are publicly calling out executives. (Politico)
Ronna McDaniel: Newsmax is looking to hire Ronna McDaniel as a contributor. (Isabella Simonetti/X)
Ronna McDaniel: Her contract allowed her to appear on MSNBC. (The Washington Post)
Ronna McDaniel: How the entire drama unfolded. (The Wall Street Journal)
Ronna McDaniel: How the entire drama unfolded. (Puck News$$$)
Ronna McDaniel: What happens now to NBCUniversal News Group president Cesar Conde? (The Wrap)
Ronna McDaniel: The pushback by NBC News and MSNBC staffers was inevitable. (Fast Company)
Ronna McDaniel: Could NBC News face political backlash following McDaniel’s exit? (Semafor)
Ronna McDaniel: How MSNBC broke the news it was dropping McDaniel. (MSNBC/X)
Ronna McDaniel: Her time at NBC News ended before it even began. (CNN Opinion)
RECAP
The Fight For The Magic Kingdom
This is a crucial week for The Walt Disney Company as during its annual shareholder meeting being held on Wednesday, April 3, we will find out whether billionaire activist Nelson Peltz and Trian Fund Management gains two board seats and/or Bob Iger continues to remain on the board courtesy of an election held during that meeting. Since Iger’s return to Disney, Peltz has been vocal about the CEO’s positioning of the House of Mickey. Peltz has attacked Iger on his succession plans, ESPN's digital, subscription, streaming, and bundling strategy, and the TV and movie division’s operations. In recent weeks, Disney has been pushing back against Peltz's assaults by airing a political-style attack ad warning that should Peltz succeed, “Disney could suffer the same fate as other great companies that Peltz has previously infiltrated, such as G.E. and DuPont. Nelson Peltz has a long history of attacking companies to the ultimate detriment of shareholder value.” Peltz fired back with his own video directed towards Disney’s board, saying, “It’s time for the board to understand that their big board fees and management with a huge compensation owe something to us.” Clarity for ESPN, ABC News, Disney Plus, and Hulu will emerge on Wednesday as the election results reveal whether Iger’s strategy has enough backing or a new storyline for Disney’s future will have to be created. (Front Office Sports, Los Angeles Times)
Good Morning Football Crew Leaves Fans Hanging
The male hosts of NFL Network's Good Morning Football show know better about how an off-season works. Viewers and fans demand clarity, not opaqueness. After all, they just covered the start of the NFL's free agency period and discussed the numerous player and team moves made at the onset, providing fans with a better picture of their team’s intentions for the upcoming season. The same theory should have been applied with Good Morning Football; instead, as the show signed off this past Friday for an extended hiatus as it relocates from New York City to Los Angeles, regular viewers were treated with a will they or won’t they from Kyle Brandt, Jason McCourty, and Peter Schrager regarding whether they will be back with the morning show when it returns in July. That kind of suspense is best left for a daytime soap drama or a sitcom. During a moving farewell segment on GMFB, Brandt said he will still be “intensely involved” with the show but did not elaborate in what capacity. McCourty did not indicate which way he would go, while Schrager, who was off during GMFB’s final week in New York during his sign-off, also gave no concrete answer as to whether he would be part of the show’s Inglewood future. On her final appearance, Jamie Erdahl confirmed she would be making the move to L.A., and that is the only clarity fans of the show got. As discussed last week, NFL Network’s abrupt decision to relocate the show risks ruining a winning formula that made GMFB a popular watch in the mornings; the non-commitment standing the male hosts have employed during this period cements the feeling of angst that fans of the show have regarding GMFB’s future. (Sports Business Journal, Deadline, Front Office Sports)
QUICK RECAP
Evan Gershkovich: TV news anchors take part in The Wall Street Journal's read-a-thon in honor of detained journalist. (TVNewser)
ABC News: New 20/20 true-crime docuseries on Monday, April 1. (ABC News Press Site)
Breaking News: How the news networks broke news of the Baltimore bridge collapse. (TVNewser)
Business: Newsmax received a $50 million investment from a Qatari royal. (International Consortium of Investigative Journalists)
NBC News: Today with Hoda and Jenna heads to New Orleans for its fifth anniversary. (Inside NBC News)
MSNBC: Joy Reid and Rachel Maddow will discuss Reid’s new book at the Apollo Theater on Saturday, April 6. (MSNBCPR/X)
Streaming: Acclaimed director Martin Scorsese will produce a religious docuseries on Fox Nation. (New York Times)
In: ESPN moves Marc Raimondi to the Atlanta Falcons beat. (ESPN Press Room)
March Madness: CBS Sports play-by-play announcer Ian Eagle on how he became the voice of the Final Four. (The Ringer)
March Madness: The early rounds of the men’s and women’s tournaments were the most consumed. (Flora Kelly/X)
Awards: The 2024 Gracie Awards winners have been announced. (TVNewser)
Awards: Sports broadcaster James Brown to be honored with Lifetime Achievement Award at 45th Annual Sports Emmys. (Sports Emmys/X)
Out: Longtime broadcaster Harry Smith retires from NBC News. (Today/X)
Out: ESPN and SportsCenter anchor John Anderson will retire at the end of June. (Inside Wisconsin/X)
Out: Tara Mulholland moves from CNN to Bloomberg as audience editor. (Talking Biz News)
Sports: NFL on Fox officiating analyst Mike Pereira to return to TV after an injury absence. (Awful Announcing)
Sports: During the annual NFL meetings, talks concerning new NFL Media partner didn’t come up. (ProFootball Talk)
Sports: The NFL is looking to auction media rights to two Christmas Day games during the 2024 season. (Front Office Sports)
Sports: ESPN is pursuing freshly retired NFL player Jason Kelce for its Monday Night Football pregame show. (The Athletic)
Sports: The NFL reveals its Brazil game will air on Peacock and Amazon will air a Wild Card Playoff game. (Sports Media Watch)
Sports: The NFL makes changes to the in-season edition of Hard Knocks. (Sports Business Journal)
Sports: Regional sports network streams integrated into ESPN's main app. (Deadline)
Thanks for reading the Coverage Notes Newsletter.
Subscribe & share. Let us know what you think we'll- love or hate it; we'll learn to deal with it and improve it.
A MarkHenry Media LLC publication - Issue #147 - 2024