NEW: MSNBC President Mulls Exit After Post-Election Ratings Collapse
MSNBC President Rashida Jones is considering whether to leave the network after President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in for a second term. The network has suffered a massive decline in ratings in the weeks following the election and is currently gripped by uncertainty as parent company Comcast eyes a sale.
Jones, who has been at the helm of the left-wing network since 2021, could be resigning as early as January, according to a report from former CNN reporter Oliver Darcy in his Status newsletter. The move would only come after Trump is sworn in for his second term on January 20, Darcy reported, citing anonymous sources at the network.
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A decision has not yet been made and it is possible that Jones will stay, the reporter noted.
Jones was praised as the first black woman to lead a major network when she took over at MSNBC in 2021
A spokesperson for Jones denied the report in a statement to Darcy, though CNN’s Brian Stelter has stated that he was able to confirm the report through his own sources.
“It’s amazing how people want to spend more time with their families or look for new challenges when the ratings crash,” one television executive said sarcastically in response to the report, adding that they are skeptical over Jones’ alleged imminent departure. They then pointed to two other prominent media personalities, CNN’s Chris Wallace and CBS’ Norah O’Donnell, in an effort to push back on the suggestion that media personalities and executives are resigning because of Trump.
“Of course she’s making the decision,” the unnamed executive added. “They’re all leaving on their own, Norah O’Donnell, Chris Wallace.”
Wallace was reportedly told that his shows were set to be cancelled due to low ratings, while his salary was set to see a massive reduction as well, according to a report from Puck News. Wallace has claimed that he left CNN on his own accord to focus on independent media endeavors.
Reports of Jones’ potential departure come as MSNBC’s ratings have cratered since Election Day. Since Trump’s victory, MSNBC recorded an average of 497,000 total-day viewers, a 47 percent drop, according to Nielsen data. The network’s decline is even more pronounced among adults between the ages of 25 and 54, a key demographic for advertisers. As of this report, MSNBC is drawing just 49,000 viewers within the demographic.
The company is also facing uncertainty as parent company Comcast is putting together a plan to package MSNBC, CNBC and a number of additional sports and cable assets into a separate company, which could then be sold. With the move, MSNBC will officially be severed from NBC’s news-gathering divisions.
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