NBC News Veteran Named as MSNBC President

NEW YORK, July 17: Phil
Griffin, a 25-year veteran of NBC News, has been named president of MSNBC.

Griffin, who has had
executive oversight at MSNBC since 2006, will take over all day-to-day
management issues at the network. Under his leadership, the network’s
prime-time ratings are up 54 percent in the first half of 2008.

Phil Alongi will remain as
the executive producer of NBC News Specials and will report to Griffin. Alongi
will oversee all of NBC News's political coverage.

Griffin has been with
MSNBC since its launch in July 1996. He was named a senior VP at NBC News and
oversaw the morning program Today
in 2005. Prior to that, he was the VP of prime-time programming at MSNBC.

“I can think of no better
person at no better time to fully take the reigns at MSNBC than Phil,” said
Steve Capus, the president of NBC News, to whom Griffin will report. “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.”

“I’ve been there from the
beginning, so I couldn’t be happier to get this position,” Griffin said. “It’s
a really exciting time at MSNBC and everyone—on the air and behind the
scenes—has pulled together to help create the success we've had this
year. We’ve really found our voice as ‘the place for politics.’ I really
believe this is our time.”

—By Jackie Stewart