MSNBC has named Rashida Jones the network’s president.
Jones, who is currently serving as senior vice president for MSNBC
News will be replacing longtime network president Phil Griffin. The decision makes Jones the first Black female executive to run a major general news cable network.
“After the presidential election, Phil and I spoke about his desire to depart at a time of his choosing and when he felt confident about the strength of the network he loves,” Cesar Conde, the chairman of the NBCUniversal Newsgroup, wrote in a memo obtained by The Washington Post.
Conde was full of praise for Griffin and his time with the network. Griffin has served as president of the network since 2008. Conde says that he “has built something remarkable. He leaves the network in the best shape it has ever been. Six straight record years. Each one better than the last.”
Now all attention turns to Griffin’s successor, who is yet to release a statement about her new undertaking publicly.
“Rashida knows and understands MSNBC, in part because it’s where she started when she first joined NBCU seven years ago,” Conde continued. “She knows that it is the people who work here that make it great, and she understands its culture. She also appreciates the impact and potential of the brand.”
Griffin will depart on Feb. 1 after a 12-year tenure, the network said on Monday.
More and more major organizations are turning to the talents of Black women to catapult them into the 21st century.
We look forward to Jones’ MSNBC reign.
