Where Does The Buck Stop At NBC News?

When Comcast acquired NBCUniversal in 2011, Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts called NBC News "the crown jewel" of his new empire. With good reason: At the time, the news division was dominant on all fronts. 'Today' was number-one in the morning, 'Nightly News' was number-one at night, and 'Meet The Press' was number-one on Sunday.

Deborah Turness

But according to Dylan Byers at Politico, Comcast's "crown jewel" has been tarnished in four short years. Not only have 'Today' and 'Meet' both fallen from first place, their falls have been accompanied by the excruciating public humiliation of the programs' top talent. Ann Curry, the former Today co-host, was privately undermined and publicly humiliated before being kicked off the show in 2012. David Gregory, the former moderator of 'Meet The Press', was hung out to dry for over a year before being booted in 2014.

Now, Brian Williams is the subject of an internal investigation into his false claim that he was on-board a Chinook helicopter that was hit by an RPG in Iraq.  Meanwhile, 'Nightly News' has been losing ground to ABC's 'World News Tonight,' which is now outperforming 'Nightly' in the coveted 25-to-54 demo.

Pat Fili-Krushel

Who is responsible for NBC's decline?

Deborah Turness is the President of NBC News; however, the division's real leader is Pat Fili-Krushel, the Chairman of NBCUniversal News Group. Fili-Krushel was promoted to that position in 2012, just weeks after Curry left the 'Today' show in tears. She hired Turness one year later to oversee the day-to-day machinations of the news division, but the big decisions ultimately wind up on her desk.

Fili-Krushel's problems are even bigger than NBC News. As Chairman, she also oversees MSNBC and CNBC, both of which have been beset by severe ratings declines. Both Phil Griffin, the President of MSNBC, and Mark Hoffman, the President of CNBC, report to her.

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