Pat Fili-Krushel Headshot - P 2012
Joseph Moran/NBCNBC Universal has created a new division that will streamline its various news brands under one entity. The NBCUniversal News Group will be led by Pat Fili-Krushel, who has been named chairman. NBC News president Steve Capus and CNBC president Mark Hoffman will now report to Fili-Krushel. MSNBC president Phil Griffin will continue to report to Capus.
Previously, Capus and Hoffman reported to Burke. Both Capus and Griffin recently renewed their contracts with NBCUniversal. The Weather Channel also will come under the NBCUni News Group umbrella.
In making the announcement on Thursday, Burke noted that the new division is designed to “enhance collaboration” among the company’s news brands.
“I am confident that placing all of these assets into one group will accelerate their growth, individually and collectively,” he wrote in a memo to NBCUniveral staffers.
STORY: Microsoft Buyout to Finally Marry MSNBC.com With Its Cable News Namesake
Burke brought Fili-Krushel in from Time Warner, where she was executive vp of administration. Since January 2011 she has been responsible for administrative and human resources functions at NBCUniversal. She has held programming and production positions at HBO and Lifetime. And she had a brief tenure as president of ABC Television Network (1998-2000), but she has not worked directly with a news division since then.
The move comes as the Today show, the most lucrative franchise at NBC News, recently underwent an anchor transition and is facing increased competition from ABC’s Good Morning America, which last April snapped the Today’s 16-year winning morning news winning streak.
Burke and Fili-Krushel worked together at ABC in the 1990s.
“Pat is a great fit for this role. She has a wealth of experience in cable and broadcast television,” Burke noted in his memo. “Since joining NBCUniversal at the close of the deal she has been a valuable member of my senior team and she has my complete confidence.”
Some of Fili-Krushel’s duties will be re-assigned: corporate affairs executive vp Adam Miller will take over human resources, operations and technical services will report to NBC Broadcasting chairman Ted Harbert, and strategic planning and development will report to CFO Stuart Epstein.
