NBC News Just Got a New President and She Is a She

By Dodai Stewart  |  May 21, 2013 | 7:15pm
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As you may recall, when writing about the Today kerfuffle surrounding Ann Curry’s departure, Brian Stelter noted that though the show targets women, it is mainly managed by men. But yesterday, NBC News got a new president. Her name is Deborah Turness.

The LA Times reports that Turness, a British journalist, will officially take control of NBC News — which includes the Today show, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams as well as Rock Center — on August 5.

And:

While “Today” may be the highest priority for Turness, it is far from the only one. She will also be tasked with beefing up the online presence of NBC News. Like many traditional media outlets, , NBC has seen its ratings decline over the last several years as viewers flock to cable and the Internet for coverage.

And just in case you don’t realize how notable it is that Deborah Turness, 46, has this job, consider this, from New York Times reporter Brian Stelter himself:

Ms. Turness will be the first woman to run a network news division in the United States. She held a similarly groundbreaking position in Britain, where she was the first woman to be editor of a television news division.
In a statement, she called her appointment “the greatest imaginable honor.”
“I am hugely excited by the opportunities that lie ahead and look forward to working with the talented journalists and technicians who make it one of the great global news operations,” she said.

Looking forward to seeing how this all plays out.

[NYT, LAT, image via AP]

 
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