Steve Capus’ State of the News Division internal memo to staff…

From: Capus, Steve
Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 3:28 PM
To: @NBC Uni News Everyone; @MSNBC Everyone (NBC Uni MSNBC); @NBC Uni News UK Everyone
Subject: State of the Division

As the New Year begins, one thing is abundantly clear: no one will ever be able to accuse this news division of standing still. We’re off to a fast start, with a series of significant developments.

The ratings performances for our broadcasts and online outlets demonstrate true leadership. Nightly News, Today and Meet the Press are all solidly in first place, during a time of intense competitive pressure. Brian, Matt, Meredith, Ann, Al and Tim, and everyone who works behind the scenes to support them, have made us all so proud. Dateline grew dramatically in 2006 and has been a big part of the turnaround in NBC’s primetime schedule - all credit to Stone, Ann and the Dateline team which is first rate across the board. At the same time, the News Productions business has grown and is a fantastic success story. The same can be said for our two MSNBC platforms. MSNBC.com, a clear leader in online news, is setting new performance records with each passing month. And what more can be said about MSNBC cable? Simply put: while other cable news outlets have struggled with shrinking audiences, MSNBC has grown and grown and grown. Lead by Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews, Joe Scarborough, outstanding documentaries and imaginative daytime programming, we have a true advantage with our 24-hour cable news network. MSNBC’s momentum, creative push and editorial leadership will result in a 2007 to remember.

Looking ahead, in September, we plan to launch a fourth hour of the Today show. We could not have even dreamed about this possibility were it not for the incomparable strength of the existing Today franchises, the phenomenal production team, and a deep, extraordinarily talented on air bench.

Also later this year, we will merge our cable, online and broadcast operations, as MSNBC moves into 30 Rock. The combined news staff will be a tour de force, offering us greater flexibility in all areas and reinforced editorial strength for major coverage events, such as Decision 2008.

Getting from here to there is going to be a challenge. By now, many of you have received word to begin packing for a move into “swing space.” Even though these temporary quarters will mean a disruption to our normal operations, these moves are necessary as we begin building our new newsroom and studio complex. I’ve begun to review the proposals for this space and am excited by the possibilities. After all, it’s been a long time since the news floors at 30 Rock had a makeover. This will accomplish that, and so much more.

Robert Dembo, Executive Director of the News 2.0 project, is really this division’s “Ike,” preparing for our own D-Day … working the complex plans for the design/ swing space/ construction and implementation projects. He’s spending a tremendous amount of time LISTENING to your smart ideas and concerns during this critical period of time, and he and his team will continue to reach out to many of you in the months to come. At the end of the day, Robert, working closely with John Wallace’s talented TOPS leaders, will deliver us a state of the art, integrated environment, with top-of-the-line tools for everyone at NBC News.

With that in mind, I’ve asked Lyne Pitts to move into a new role as the Executive Producer in charge of Strategic Initiatives. Lyne will report directly to me. In her new job, Lyne will help identify and drive new business opportunities, with heavy emphasis on the editorial and technical aspects of these ventures. As I’ve said repeatedly during our 2.0 conversations, NBC News is committed to reallocating resources to new growth areas. It’s Lyne’s job to help make this happen with an eye towards maintaining the editorial excellence people have come to expect from NBC News. It’s essential for us to have a structure that recognizes new opportunities, seizes chances and moves aggressively. Lyne is uniquely qualified to take on this new role.

Moving Lyne out of Weekend Today was a tough call. Working closely with Campbell and Lester, Lyne has overseen a period of growth and development on the broadcast. Fortunately, Amy Chiaro, who has been named acting EP, is doing a terrific job of keeping that momentum going.

We’ll get a chance to talk about all of these things and more when I host a news division Town Hall next Thursday, Feb 1st at 1:30pm ET. Please save the date & time. We’ll send an email with more info in the coming days.

Make no mistake about it — the issues facing NBC News, and every other media company, are enormous. The daily business headlines underscore this, with talk of job reductions and other sweeping changes across the media landscape. However, I’m confident we have the right team and a strategic vision in place to meet these challenges head on. It will take everyone’s hard work, patience and dedication. But I have no doubt that the next chapter in the history of NBC News will be a fantastic success.

Here’s to a great 2007.