NBC News announced this morning that Deborah Turness, the former ITV News editor, has been hired as President.
Turness will join the NBCUniversal News Group team, which includes chairman Pat Fili-Krushel, CNBC President Mark Hoffman and MSNBC President Phil Griffin. She will take of the job on Aug. 5 and will work from 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York.
Her job will include overseeing operations at NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, Today, Dateline, Meet the Press, other NBC News special programming and the in-house production company Peacock Productions.
“Deborah has built an outstanding reputation as both a journalist and business executive with a proven track record for innovation and collaboration,” Fili-Krushel said in the announcement. “She is a leader with a global perspective, who is also very familiar with NBC News, having worked closely with us through our partnership with ITN. Her passion for the news business, combined with her creativity and vision, will be a tremendous asset to NBC News, and I’m very pleased to welcome her to the team.”
Turness had been the editor of ITN’s ITV News since 2004, as the network became the most-watched commercial network in the U.K. ITV notes that she played in an instrumental role in its coverage of the Jimmy Saville abuse scandal, Prince William’s wedding and the arrest of the London 21/7 bomb plotters.
“Deborah has made an enormous contribution to ITV News over many years and we wish her all the very best in her new role. She leaves ITV News in great shape,” ITV's Director of News and Current Affairs, Michael Jermey said. “Her successor will take on the leadership of a highly talented team with a great track record in making award winning programmes.”
In a statement released by ITV, Turess called it “quite simply the greatest imaginable honour” to be named NBC News’ new president. “I am hugely excited by the opportunities that lie ahead and look forward to working with the talented journalists and technicians who make it one of the great global news operations,” she added.