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June 17, 2015 9:08 pm  #1


Brian Williams is staying at NBC, but Lester Holt will anchor

(Via Business Insider)

Newsman Brian Williams has reportedly reached an agreement with NBC to remain at the network, but not at the "Nightly News" desk.

CNN reports the agreement "will keep Williams at the network after his six-month suspension ends in August," a move that had been speculated about in recent weeks as the anchor's suspension enters the final stretch. 

Network executives cited by CNN say an official announcement about Williams' future is forthcoming.

Williams' representatives have apparently been in talks with the network about more than just what his next job might be. They're also negotiating "where, when and how Williams will express regret for the storytelling exaggerations that led to his February suspension," CNN reports. 

So far, it's unclear exactly what role the now-former news anchor will have, now that Lester Holt will be the permanent "Nightly News" anchor. Holt stepped in for Williams after the disgraced anchor's departure amid a controversy over his war reporting.

Trust for Brian Williams completely crashed in the aftermath of his admission that he'd embellished reports that he was in a military helicopter forced down in the early days of the Iraq war. In the week following his admission, he'd gone from the 23rd most-trusted person in America, to the 835th, according to a New York Times report.


Madness takes its toll.  Please have exact change.
 
 

June 18, 2015 10:43 am  #2


Re: Brian Williams is staying at NBC, but Lester Holt will anchor

NBC showed class in retaining the damaged former news anchor, but I doubt Williams will ever be the 'face' of NBC News again.  He could end up doing what Keith Morrison does for "Dateline NBC"...or given his comedic chops (as witnessed on David Letterman's program over the years), he could host a fun time weekly variety show...like Howard Cosell did with 'Saturday Night Live' on ABC.  (OK, that's a joke)...but I certainly don't see him visiting Jimmy Fallon's show any time soon though.  Maybe NBC can get a highly rated full hour confession show out of him...and he could sing, dance and tell jokes too.

 

June 19, 2015 1:56 pm  #3


Re: Brian Williams is staying at NBC, but Lester Holt will anchor

For those who missed it, here's Williams's mea culpa (or is that "me a culprit"?) in a nearly 10 minute interview on Friday's Today Show. It's somewhat fascinating to watch when a high profile broadcaster who was charged with bringing you the news suddenly - and very reluctantly - becomes the news.

Brian Williams speaks out for the first time since suspension

Last edited by RadioActive (June 19, 2015 2:07 pm)

 

June 19, 2015 2:19 pm  #4


Re: Brian Williams is staying at NBC, but Lester Holt will anchor

Apparently, the news about their newsman's return is not going down well in the halls of 30 Rock, According to several articles, including one in the Daily Beast, a large number of staffers who toil in the newsroom wanted Williams to make a quick, if not ignoble, exit.

“People in the newsroom are furious,” said an NBC News veteran who, like others who reacted to the personnel shuffle, spoke on condition of anonymity. “Everyone in the hallways is very, very upset and depressed about it.”

A second NBC veteran told The Daily Beast: “I have yet to speak to anyone in the news organization who wants Brian back and thinks Brian deserves to be back. He has zero support among the rank and file. I shouldn’t say ‘zero.’ There’s almost no support for him in the newsroom.”



Yikes! Now there's a shop you wouldn't want to work in for a while. 

 

November 9, 2021 9:21 pm  #5


Re: Brian Williams is staying at NBC, but Lester Holt will anchor

This thread is more than 6 years old, but it's being resurrected to note that the exaggeration-plagued Brian Williams is finally leaving the network - although no one knows where he's going. But the article hints CNN is a possibility. 

Brian Williams To Part Ways With MSNBC By Year’s End

 

November 9, 2021 11:20 pm  #6


Re: Brian Williams is staying at NBC, but Lester Holt will anchor

Going to really miss Williams nightly at 11. Usually catch him and Rachel repeat before bed, following some
live sports earlier in the evenings.

MSNBC has some pretty strong people. One person not mentioned in the Variety piece was Chris Hayes but
I think I like him where he is at 8 on All In.
Velshi could do 11. Hell, they use him everywhere.
Hope they leave Nicole at 4pm. Strong lead for Ari at 6.

So, where does Brian go? CBS? He could do some damage there. Another wait-and-see situation, huh?

There'll be a change in the weather...there'll be some changes made...

 

November 11, 2021 10:46 am  #7


Re: Brian Williams is staying at NBC, but Lester Holt will anchor

This is an interesting think piece about what MSNBC does next, after the loss of Brian Williams and a potential reduction in workload for Rachel Maddow. (How about a rebranding? The "MS" in MSNBC stood for Microsoft, once a partner in the venture. But I don't think they've had piece of the thing for years. And the name likely never made much sense to viewers in any event. Maybe just change it to NBC News Net, which would carry more weight.)

The story also considers the future of what all news networks in the U.S. might have to do to survive until the next big battle - the American election. It also looks at what Williams, who is still relatively young, could consider as his next step.

"The rumors that CBS is unhappy with prime time anchor Norah O’Donnell would surely not have escaped Williams’ notice. And those close to Williams say he still yearns for a chance to host a late night talk show, where he got in trouble after falsely claiming that he had been in a helicopter hit by enemy fire during the Iraq War."

https://clearthis.page/?u=https://www.thewrap.com/brian-williams-msnbc-exit-analysis/

 

November 12, 2021 2:49 am  #8


Re: Brian Williams is staying at NBC, but Lester Holt will anchor

They already brand their streaming channel as NBC News Now.  I think they like to use the different name to indicate a separation from the main network.  NBC News is much closer to the centre than MSNBC.