Jonathan Wald Exits CNN, Heads To MSNBC As SVP Programming And Development

Jonathan Wald is bowing out of CNN, where he has been EP-ing Don Lemon’s sometimes-gobsmacking primetime show, to become SVP Programming and Development at MSNBC.  He reports directly to MSNBC president Phil Griffin and starts next week.

Here is Griffin’s “memo” to staff:

Team,

I’m excited to announce that Jonathan Wald will join MSNBC on March 6 as SVP of Programming and Development, reporting to me. He joins us from CNN where he was executive producer of CNN Tonight and Piers Morgan Tonight.

Jonathan is a uniquely talented producer. Some of you will remember him from his years at NBC, when he was executive producer of TODAY and Nightly News, and SVP of business news programming at CNBC during the height of the financial crisis.

In this new role, Jonathan will help us build on MSNBC’s success in primetime, develop new programming including long-form, and special events. He is joining MSNBC at a pivotal time. We’ve had an outstanding year. MSNBC was the fastest growing cable network in primetime for 2016. And this year we’re off to a great start – for February MSNBC is the #2 cable network overall in prime, handily beating CNN.

To help us continue that momentum, Jonathan will work closely with the MSNBC leadership team. And he’ll partner with Janelle Rodriguez, who will continue to lead MSNBC dayside (the best growth story in television news), and, of course, Nightly News.

It’s great to have Jonathan back in the NBC family. Please join me in welcoming him to MSNBC.

Thank you,

Phil