NBC News is buying a minority stake in the overseas television news outlet Euronews, appointing NBC News President Deborah Turness to run the new partnership, and having "Today" show chief executive Noah Oppenheim replace her as NBC News president.
NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack on Tuesday announced the deal with Euronews, which employs some 500 journalists and airs in 164 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. NBC is paying $30 million, and the new venture will be known as Euronews NBC.
American viewers will be able to see Euronews journalists adding their expertise to NBC News, MSNBC and digital coverage of international stories, the network said.
"We believe we've found a unique international partner at a pivotal time in global news," Lack said in a memo to his staff.
Turness will be president of the newly formed NBC News International, responsible for pulling together the two news organization, and will eventually relocate to her native England.
Oppenheim will add supervision of other newscasts like "Meet the Press" and "Nightly News" to his portfolio. He has been the chief executive in charge of "Today" for two years, with the morning show pulling closer to "Good Morning America" in viewership and leading among youthful viewers that advertisers seek.
"He has honed the broadcast, and audiences have rewarded us for it," Lack said.
Civil rights groups call on major corporations to stick with DEI programs
A broad group of civil rights organizations called on the CEOs and board members of major companies Thursday to maintain their commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that have come under attack online and in lawsuits.
An open letter signed by 19 organizations and directed at the leaders of Fortune 1000 companies said companies that abandon their DEI programs are shirking their fiduciary responsibility to employees, consumers and shareholders.
The civil rights groups included the NAACP, the National Organization for Women, the League of United Latin American Citizens, Asian Americans Advancing Justice and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
"Diversity, equity and inclusion programs, policies, and practices make business-sense and they're broadly popular among the public, consumers, and employees," their statement read. "But a small, well-funded, and extreme group of right-wing activists is attempting to pressure companies into abandoning their DEI programs."
Companies such as Ford, Lowes, John Deere, Molson Coors and Harley-Davidson recently announced they would pull back on their diversity, equity and inclusion policies after facing pressure from conservative activists who were emboldened by recent victories in the courtroom.
Many major corporations have been examining their diversity programs in the wake of a Supreme Court decision last year that declared race-based affirmative action programs in college admissions unconstitutional. Dozens of cases have been filed making similar arguments about employers. Critics of DEI programs say the initiatives provide benefits to people of one race or sexual orientation while excluding others.
In their letter, the civil rights organizations, which also included... Read More