Griffin Promoted To MSNBC President
Veteran Assumes Daily Management Of News Channel
By Multi Channel News Staff -- Multichannel News, 7/16/2008 6:01:00 AM MT
Phil Griffin, who has been with NBC News for more than a quarter century, today was named president of MSNBC.
Griffin, who has had executive oversight for MSNBC since 2006, now assumed day-to-day management of the news channel, which under his direction has registered ratings improvement. In addition to his responsibilities at the 24-hour cable news channel, Griffin will also oversee NBC News' Specials coverage.
Griffin was named senior vice president at NBC News with oversight responsibility for morning leader Today in April 2005. The following year he added oversight of MSNBC to his responsibilities. Prior to that, he was vice president of primetime programming for MSNBC, overseeing all primetime programming for the network including The Abrams Report, Hardball with Chris Matthews, Countdown with Keith Olbermann and Scarborough Country.
Griffin has been with MSNBC since its launch in July 1996, producing several programs for the cable network, including Hardball. Prior to becoming an executive producer at MSNBC, Griffin was the senior broadcast producer of NBC News’s Nightly News with Tom Brokaw since 1992, where he oversaw domestic stories on a daily basis
“I can think of no better person at no better time to fully take the reigns at MSNBC than Phil,” said NBC News president Steve Capus in a statement. “The team at MSNBC has accomplished an extraordinary feat in the past 12 months – and Phil was the guiding hand in all of it. As MSNBC is poised to reach new levels, its time for him to be able to direct his full-time attention to one of the most important assets we have at NBC News. I want to congratulate him on this promotion – its incredibly well-deserved.”
