Controversial NBC News president Noah Oppenheim will step down from the high-profile role amid a broader shakeup at the news division, the network said Wednesday.
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Oppenheim, who was accused by Ronan Farrow of spiking his Harvey Weinstein reporting, will remain in the NBC family, having inked a film and TV production deal with parent NBC Universal.
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NBC News Group chief Cesar Conde said New York Times deputy managing editor Rebecca Blumenstein will take over much of Oppenheim’s responsibilities, and grab the title of president of editorial for NBC News.
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Blumenstein, 56, will oversee editorial, newsgathering, booking and the NBC News bureaus around the world.
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She will also oversee the “Dateline” and “Meet the Press” franchises, as well as NBC News Studios. The editor, who helped expand the Times’ digital journalism, will report to Conde.
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Under a new structure, Libby Leist, the NBC News executive who oversees “Today,” and Janelle Rodriguez, the NBC News executive who supervises the streaming outlet NBC News Now, will also report to Conde.
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The cable channels MSNBC and CNBC will continue to be led by Rashida Jones and KC Sullivan, respectively.
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Oppenheim’s departure has been rumored in recent weeks, as his contract, which was renewed in 2019, neared expiration.
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Oppenheim was elevated to president of NBC News in 2017, after having led the “Today” show as senior vice president since 2015.
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The exec, along with his boss, former NBC News chairman Andy Lack, were blasted by Farrow in his 2019 book “Catch and Kill” for allegedly refusing to publish his explosive story about Weinstein’s sexual misconduct.
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According to NBC’s Conde, Oppenheim “will be changing his role to focus on his passion for producing movies and scripted television shows.”
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According to the New York Times, which first broke the news of the shakeup, Oppenheim has a handful of outside projects in the works.
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