NBC News President Noah Oppenheim stepping down; Rebecca Blumenstein to lead news operations
NBC News’ longtime president, Noah Oppenheim, is stepping down but will stay with NBCUniversal to produce movies and scripted television shows, the company announced Wednesday.
Oppenheim, who led NBC News for six years and oversaw the “TODAY” show for two years before that, will produce projects in partnership with NBCUniversal, Cesar Conde, the chairman of the NBCUniversal News Group, said in a statement to employees.
Rebecca Blumenstein, a deputy managing editor of The New York Times since 2017, will step into the new role of president of editorial, Conde said.
“We are excited for his new chapter and that he will continue to work closely with NBCUniversal in this new role,” Conde said of Oppenheim. “We are grateful for his leadership and the many accomplishments of NBC News during his tenure.”
Conde called Blumenstein “an innovative leader” and an “award-winning national and international journalist who has spent decades leading the newsrooms at The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.”
In his own email to the staff members, Oppenheim said “it’s time for me to return to my other love — writing and producing TV and movies.”
On his watch, Oppenheim said, “TODAY” became “not only the #1 morning show but a true multi-platform lifestyle brand.”
Oppenheim touted other successes, noting that “Nightly News is one of the most-watched programs on all of television” and saying that “Meet the Press” is setting the agenda in politics “every day, not just Sundays,” and that “NBC News NOW is the dominant streaming news service.”
“NBCNews.com has grown into a standalone world-class news organization, filled with some of the best print reporters in the country,” Oppenheim added. “And NBC News Studios is fast becoming a juggernaut from documentary features, to doc-series, to scripted adaptations of Dateline.”
Oppenheim said he would remain at 30 Rock for “several more weeks helping with this transition.”
Blumenstein said in a statement that “the news landscape is rapidly evolving, with mediums converging at a rate our industry has never seen.”
“I look forward to building on the deep journalistic foundation at NBC News to help NBC News achieve its ambitions,” she said. “I have loved every minute of working at The Times and learned so much working with many of the best journalists in the world.”
Conde also announced that Libby Leist, who helped preside over the rapid growth of “TODAY,” will be promoted to executive vice president for “TODAY” and Lifestyle and will join the News Group leadership team.
In addition, Janelle Rodriguez, who helped develop NBC News’ highly successful and profitable news streaming service, is joining the leadership team as executive vice president of NBC News NOW. She will also continue building the streaming news network.
“Under her leadership, NBC News NOW has been the largest and fasted growing streaming news network and provides more live programming than any other streaming news service,” the company said in a statement.
Blumenstein, Leist and Rodriguez will all report to Conde.
