MSNBC named Rebecca Kutler its new president on Wednesday, removing the interim tag that has been included in her title since she took over for former boss Rashida Jones last month.
“In the short time that Rebecca was the interim president, it became clear to me that she has the big-picture strategic view and the right leadership skills to ensure MSNBC delivers on its brand promise and is positioned for growth during a time of industry change,” SpinCo CEO Mark Lazarus said in a statement.
Kutler replaced Jones last month after the ex-MSNBC president stepped down following four years in the role; she first joined the cable channel in 2022 as the SVP of content strategy, following 16 years at CNN.
MSNBC suffered a major ratings decline following the 2024 election, but the network has enjoyed a recent surge in viewership following President Trump’s inauguration last month. Last week, MSNBC’s primetime slate had its most-watched week since election week, with an average of 1.5 million viewers.
For comparison, CNN averaged a bit more than 500,000 primetime viewers and Fox News averaged about 3.1 million in that same week.
Kutler, in a statement on Wednesday, said she talked to her team in January about the need to “show up for our audience,” and in return, “they will show up for us.”
“That is exactly what happened,” she noted. “Our audience has shown up in a huge way, and they are surging back across all our platforms. That is a credit to each and every one of you.”
The longtime media executive’s goal over the next few years, she added, is to build on that recent momentum.
“Especially over the next year, this is going to be a really exciting time but also a challenging time,” Kutler said. “I think it’s important that we as leaders are honest about that and about the challenges ahead. Our jobs are hard on a normal day, and these are not normal times.”
