CABLE GUY
Brian off to MSNBC, but staff doesn’t want him
HE’S NOT good enough to anchor a half-hour network news broadcast, but Brian Williams is now the face of an entire news channel.
Stunned staffers at MSNBC were fuming Thursday when they learned how NBC brass had stripped Williams of his job as the anchor of NBC’s “Nightly News” — and banished him to the cable news channel.
“We understand that there are issues here but this is not going to help our credibility,” a producer complained. Another, more senior producer said, “What does this say about the trustworthiness of MSNBC?”
Williams has been permanently replaced by Lester Holt and become a cornerstone of a revamped MSNBC that will shift its focus away from left-leaning politics and focus once again on breaking news, NBC officials said.
Details were so closely guarded that Holt, on vacation with his family in Paris, didn’t know he had secured the job until Wednesday night, said a well-placed source.
Williams will be paid “significantly less” than his current $10 million-a-year deal, a source told The News, declining to divulge the anchor’s new salary. The newsman apologized for telling the tall tales that led to his demotion in a statement Thursday.
“I’m sorry. I said things that weren’t true,” the newsman wrote. “I let down my NBC colleagues and our viewers, and I’m determined to earn back their trust. I will greatly miss working with the team on ‘Nightly News,’ but I know the broadcast will be in excellent hands with Lester Holt as anchor. I will support him 100% as he has always supported me. I am grateful for the chance to return to covering the news.”
Williams will appear on “Today” on Friday in a pretaped interview with Matt Lauer.
Holt took over when Williams was suspended after lying about taking fire while aboard a helicopter in Iraq in 2003. An internal investigation also questioned some of his other reporting, including a claim to have seen a floating body in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
“The extensive review found that Williams made a number of inaccurate statements about his own role and experiences covering events in the field,” NBC officials said.
“The statements in question did not for the most part occur on NBC News platforms or in the immediate aftermath of the news events, but rather on late-night programs and during public appearances, usually years after the news events in question.”
NBC officials declined to say why they are not releasing the findings. “This matter has been extensively analyzed and deliberated on by NBC,” NBC-Universal chief Steve Burke said. “We are moving forward.”
The move is an attempt by NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack to put out two major fires — finding a way to rehabilitate Williams while shoring up MSNBC’s plummeting ratings. In a staff memo, Lack spoke about the disgraced anchor. “Brian now has the chance to earn back everyone’s trust,” he said. “(Williams’) excellent work over 22 years at NBC News has earned him that opportunity.” He also confirmed that Holt will be the new anchor.
Solving both issues has been a priority for Lack since he rejoined NBC in April.
It also makes sense from an accounting perspective — NBC News is already carrying tens of millions of dollars in deadwood salaries for former executives and talent like Ann Curry, ousted “Meet the Press” anchor David Gregory and short-lived “Today” general manager Jamie Horowitz.
Adding Williams’ whopping salary, a portion of which would have to be paid if he was dropped from NBC, would have been a major drag on the network’s bottom line.
I’m sorry. I said things that weren’t true. I let down my NBC colleagues and our viewers, and I’m determined to earn back their trust.
BRIAN WILLIAMS