Phil Griffin, the smart, amiable longtime NBC news executive who has worked with Keith Olbermann off and on for more than 25 years and is his most outspoken champion in his current incarnation at MSNBC, takes over the whole network today, NBC News has announced.
Griffin (whom I interviewed below) has been at the cable channel since the outset; before that, his jobs included NBC's "Today" show, the syndicated "USA Today" show (remember that?) and before that, three years at CNN where as a producer, he worked for the first time with Olbermann.
I'm interviewing Griffin later today. Meanwhile, here's a clip of an interview we did in June, discussing why MSNBC's ratings are up so dramatically:
TVBARN.COM_PhilGriffin_071608.mp3
By the way, if you're coming to this article through search, be aware that in the interest of fair and balanced, I also spoke this week with Chris Wallace of Fox News (interview's up) and Fox News SVP of editorial, John Moody (that story is coming later this week).
PHIL GRIFFIN NAMED PRESIDENT, MSNBC
Griffin To Take Full-time Responsibility for America's Fastest-Growing Cable Channel
NEW YORK - July 16, 2008 - Phil Griffin, a veteran of NBC News for more than 25 years, has been named President of MSNBC. The announcement was made today by NBC News President Steve Capus, to whom Griffin will continue to report.
"I can think of no better person at no better time to fully take the reigns at MSNBC than Phil," said Capus. "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."
Griffin, who has had executive oversight for MSNBC since 2006, will take over all day-to-day management issues at MSNBC. Under his leadership, MSNBC has soared in the ratings. The network's primetime ratings are up 54% in the first half of 2008, propelling MSNBC into the tightest race with its cable news competitors since 2001. In addition to his responsibilities at the 24-hour cable news channel, Griffin will also oversee NBC News' Specials coverage.
"I've been there from the beginning, so I couldn't be happier to get this position," said Griffin. "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."
Phil Alongi will remain as executive producer of NBC News Specials, reporting to Griffin. In that capacity, Alongi also oversees all of NBC News' political coverage.
Griffin was named Senior Vice President at NBC News with oversight responsibility for America's number-one morning program, "Today," in April 2005. A year later he added oversight of MSNBC to his responsibilities. Prior to that, he was vice president of primetime programming for MSNBC, overseeing all primetime programming for the network including "The Abrams Report," "Hardball with Chris Matthews," "Countdown with Keith Olbermann," and "Scarborough Country."
Griffin has been with MSNBC since its launch in July 1996. He has produced several programs for the cable network including "Hardball with Chris Matthews" from 1999-2004. At MSNBC's launch, Griffin produced "Internight," hosted by Tom Brokaw, Katie Couric, Bryant Gumbel, Bob Costas and Bill Moyers featuring newsmakers, artists and authors. Griffin also produced "The Big Show with Keith Olbermann" from 1997-98.
Prior to becoming an executive producer at MSNBC, Griffin was the senior broadcast producer of NBC News' "Nightly News with Tom Brokaw" since 1992, where he oversaw domestic stories on a daily basis. Griffin traveled extensively with Brokaw on major breaking news events to Somalia, Moscow and the Middle East.
In 1995, Griffin went to Los Angeles to head up NBC News' coverage of the O.J. Simpson Trial. Prior to that, he was the American Close-Up segment producer for "Nightly News" beginning in 1991. From 1988-1991, Griffin was a writer/producer for "Today," where he covered stories including the Persian Gulf War, the San Francisco earthquake and the invasion of Panama. This marked Griffin's return to "Today," where he worked from 1983-1987 as a writer/producer. Griffin left "Today" in 1987 to join "USA Today: The Television Show" as senior producer until 1988. He began his career at CNN in 1980, where he was a producer for three years.
Griffin is a graduate of Vassar College, with a B.A. in English. He and his wife Kory Apton reside in Manhattan with their two children.
Built on the worldwide resources of NBC News, MSNBC defines news for the next generation with world-class reporting and a full schedule of live news coverage, political analysis and award-winning documentary programming -- 24 hours a day, seven days a week. MSNBC's home on the Internet is msnbc.com. Msnbc.com delivers a fuller spectrum of news. Drawing on its award-winning original journalism, NBC News heritage, trusted sources and Microsoft's advanced technologies, the site presents compelling, diverse and visually-engaging stories on the consumer's platform of choice. Nielsen Online reports more than 37 million unique visitors for June 2008, making msnbc.com the number one news site, ahead of CNN, Yahoo! News, ABC, CBS, and Fox News.
nice article, but facts are facts, may be a dramatic rise in viewership, but no matter what FOX NEWS beats them by so much, and olbermanns ratings are still way below anyone at FOX, even during the democrat primaries, sure during this election I am sure they will go higher, but once that is over back down they will go, I tried to watch them and olbermann is just over the top, his viewers must be the total far left, the daily kos and move on group, to sick for me, I am a center left and sometimes right, I was for hillary and just could not stomach msnbc and their total love for obama, that network is in the tank for obama and was from the beginning, hardball is one of the worse, but then so is olbermann, abrams, gregory, mitchell, and forget it, the whole group, even scarborough in the morning, and he is suppose to be a gop, now that is a joke. I just do not understand how these people keep their shows when sometimes their viewership is under 300,00, thats pretty bad, morning joe is almost always under that, how do you explain that???? I guess they have so much money they just have to fill the hour slots with something.
Posted by: Sandra | July 16, 2008 at 05:29 PM
Phil Griffin, your political team at MSNBC is distasteful and comical. It's one thing to be leaning towards one party/ one candidate but to overtly slander another party/candidate and call it non partisian is reprehensible. You should be ashamed that you've lowed the standard reporting the way you have.
Posted by: Mark Beattie | August 28, 2008 at 12:11 PM
I cannot take anymore of Joe Scarboroug on "Morning Joe". Are there actually people out there that wake up and enjoy his caustic, whinning and "know it all attitude"?
I enjoy all the other respectable, engaging folks on the show and fail to get why management let's Scarborough rant?
Posted by: Bruce Williamson | March 04, 2009 at 05:21 AM