Just as the media business was recovering from the sudden ouster of left-leaning MSNBC News host Chris Matthews, NBC's top news executive has received his walking papers.
The shakeup puts a media executive who had worked for President George Bush in charge of a single news unit that combines the operations of NBC News, MSNBC and CNBC. The new chief of this unified command is Cesar Conde, a veteran NBC executive.
The shakeup was announced Monday following the takeover of the NBC umbrella company by Jeff Shell, who is now chief executive officer. Soon to depart is the current NBC News boss, Andy Lack. Lack garnered much unfavorable attention after it was disclosed that NBC had squelched Ronan Farrow's reporting on sex allegations against Hollywood hot shot Harvey Weinstein. Weinstein was found guilty of two of five felony sex offenses in February and handed 23 years in a New York State prison.
The stated reason for Matthews's removal was that he had been insensitive to new social norms when he complimented a woman four years ago.
But now that NBC is in a major overhaul, observers will question whether the motive for removal had to do with Matthews's age. At 74, the longtime "Hardball" host appeared to be projecting an image that was out of step with the younger, more open-walleted viewers that NBC wants to foster, according to some reports. In addition, media tea-leaf readers will wonder whether Bush's recent call for national unity is related to the NBC shake-up. Is Shell in accord with Bush's sentiment and desirous of toning down the rancorous anti-Trump rhetoric and news slanting that fills NBC's airwaves?
In the midst of a vicious national pandemic that threatens to undermine the national economy, is the idea to return to a more sober, balanced and objective news content and presentation than has been true for the last four years? Is the obvious leftism of NBC to be reined in so as to present a "responsible" front, no matter how erratic and seemingly irrational Trump is? Will NBC news staff members be told to return to the era of professionalism and stop doing everything possible to undermine Trump?
The fact that the new NBC news czar worked with the Bush White House and has no record of a leftist tilt certainly is being noted. The fact that Trump and Bush do not see eye to eye could be taken as a signal that NBC has no intention of kowtowing to the White House. Yet it seems certain that there will be attempts to cool down the fiery rhetoric and cheap shots -- rhetoric which pleases the left but which leaves many Americans with a sense of disgust. By continually baiting Trump, the media feeds the noise.
Normally the "noise" in Washington helps generate viewers and readers -- and money. But, America's situation is so precarious that numerous people in the business community have been calling for a return to civil discourse. Also, continually whipping up MSNBC's "core viewers" no doubt is seen as a no-growth strategy, as younger viewers turn elsewhere.
Like Trump, Conde is a graduate of the prestigious Wharton School of Business. Conde is known for numerous efforts aimed at the Hispanic community. He was the driving force behind the launch of El Poder En Ti (The Power Within You), a community platform focusing on three areas of importance to U.S. Hispanics: education (Tú Educación), health (Tú Salud) and finance (Tú Dinero).
The command changes puts the NBC parent firm's television networks and its new streaming service, Peacock, under Mark Lazarus, now chairman of television and streaming. He will continue to oversee the NBC Sports Group, television stations owned by NBC, and affiliate relations, the company said.
The NBC parent firm is bracing for a big year as it enters the crowded streaming market, with Peacock set to launch broadly July 15. Meanwhile, the company faces major hurdles related to the Covid pandemic, including the shuttering of its theme parks and a downturn in advertising revenue as Covid racks the economy.
In fact, the current ideological cant emanating from NBC may well be seen by Shell and his top advisers as counterproductive as economic woes are already forcing widespread layoffs of news staff members across the industry. Major layoffs are virtually certain as NBC streamlines and restructures its news operations.
Prior to joining the main NBC company, Conde was at the Spanish-language broadcast outfit Univision for ten years, serving as president for five years. During this time he held a number of senior positions, including as top aide to Univision's chief, reaching the presidency of Univision Networks in 2009.
Before that, he was a White House fellow in the Bush administration, where he worked with Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Like Trump, Conde was born in New York City, though he grew up in Miami. His father, Cesar A. Conde, is an immigrant from Peru and his mother, Maria Conde, is a Cuban exile.
The shakeup puts a media executive who had worked for President George Bush in charge of a single news unit that combines the operations of NBC News, MSNBC and CNBC. The new chief of this unified command is Cesar Conde, a veteran NBC executive.
The shakeup was announced Monday following the takeover of the NBC umbrella company by Jeff Shell, who is now chief executive officer. Soon to depart is the current NBC News boss, Andy Lack. Lack garnered much unfavorable attention after it was disclosed that NBC had squelched Ronan Farrow's reporting on sex allegations against Hollywood hot shot Harvey Weinstein. Weinstein was found guilty of two of five felony sex offenses in February and handed 23 years in a New York State prison.
The stated reason for Matthews's removal was that he had been insensitive to new social norms when he complimented a woman four years ago.
But now that NBC is in a major overhaul, observers will question whether the motive for removal had to do with Matthews's age. At 74, the longtime "Hardball" host appeared to be projecting an image that was out of step with the younger, more open-walleted viewers that NBC wants to foster, according to some reports. In addition, media tea-leaf readers will wonder whether Bush's recent call for national unity is related to the NBC shake-up. Is Shell in accord with Bush's sentiment and desirous of toning down the rancorous anti-Trump rhetoric and news slanting that fills NBC's airwaves?
In the midst of a vicious national pandemic that threatens to undermine the national economy, is the idea to return to a more sober, balanced and objective news content and presentation than has been true for the last four years? Is the obvious leftism of NBC to be reined in so as to present a "responsible" front, no matter how erratic and seemingly irrational Trump is? Will NBC news staff members be told to return to the era of professionalism and stop doing everything possible to undermine Trump?
The fact that the new NBC news czar worked with the Bush White House and has no record of a leftist tilt certainly is being noted. The fact that Trump and Bush do not see eye to eye could be taken as a signal that NBC has no intention of kowtowing to the White House. Yet it seems certain that there will be attempts to cool down the fiery rhetoric and cheap shots -- rhetoric which pleases the left but which leaves many Americans with a sense of disgust. By continually baiting Trump, the media feeds the noise.
Normally the "noise" in Washington helps generate viewers and readers -- and money. But, America's situation is so precarious that numerous people in the business community have been calling for a return to civil discourse. Also, continually whipping up MSNBC's "core viewers" no doubt is seen as a no-growth strategy, as younger viewers turn elsewhere.
Like Trump, Conde is a graduate of the prestigious Wharton School of Business. Conde is known for numerous efforts aimed at the Hispanic community. He was the driving force behind the launch of El Poder En Ti (The Power Within You), a community platform focusing on three areas of importance to U.S. Hispanics: education (Tú Educación), health (Tú Salud) and finance (Tú Dinero).
The command changes puts the NBC parent firm's television networks and its new streaming service, Peacock, under Mark Lazarus, now chairman of television and streaming. He will continue to oversee the NBC Sports Group, television stations owned by NBC, and affiliate relations, the company said.
The NBC parent firm is bracing for a big year as it enters the crowded streaming market, with Peacock set to launch broadly July 15. Meanwhile, the company faces major hurdles related to the Covid pandemic, including the shuttering of its theme parks and a downturn in advertising revenue as Covid racks the economy.
In fact, the current ideological cant emanating from NBC may well be seen by Shell and his top advisers as counterproductive as economic woes are already forcing widespread layoffs of news staff members across the industry. Major layoffs are virtually certain as NBC streamlines and restructures its news operations.
Prior to joining the main NBC company, Conde was at the Spanish-language broadcast outfit Univision for ten years, serving as president for five years. During this time he held a number of senior positions, including as top aide to Univision's chief, reaching the presidency of Univision Networks in 2009.
Before that, he was a White House fellow in the Bush administration, where he worked with Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Like Trump, Conde was born in New York City, though he grew up in Miami. His father, Cesar A. Conde, is an immigrant from Peru and his mother, Maria Conde, is a Cuban exile.
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