The Biggest TV News Departures and Shake-Ups of 2024

October-December

• After 16 years as part of MSNBC’s weekly lineup Andrea Mitchell announced his departure from its eponymous news outlet — but crucially not the network — in late October. Instead, like O’Donnell at CBS, the veteran reporter will move into a new role at NBC News and MSNBC, covering stories “from a different point of view” as she said on air.
• Three years after leaving 30 Rock, Brian Williams back in the news game with a special Election Night on Amazon Prime Video, which also presented a number of former familiar correspondents from legacy media. Streaming live from 5 pm to late at night, the event was Amazon’s first taste of news programming and other networks – not to mention other journalists – are sure to be closely monitored if they return for seconds.
• Launching a wave of post-election departures, CNN said goodbye Chris Wallacewho told The Daily Beast that he had been pursuing opportunities in the streaming and podcast space. Wallace left ahead of planned layoffs at CNN in early 2025.
• Fox News’ talent has been largely in place for most of the year, but that has changed since Trump’s return to the White House. Co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend Pete Hegseth he was the first to be called to the ranks of the government when the president-elect appointed him as secretary of defense. Trump has since sought to hire 12 Fox personalities, including Sean Duffy and Monica Crowley. The exit also – but not to the White House – was a long time anchor Neil Cavuto, who decided to move away after a 28-year run at Fox News Media.
• The industry’s biggest shock was saved for the final weeks of 2024 when NBCUniversal News Group announced that MSNBC and CNBC would be shared in the new cable company, called SpinCo. Weeks later, Warner Bros. Discovery reassigned CNN to its newly created Global Linear Networks division that houses the company’s declining cable assets. Both moves were interpreted as signals that CNN and MSNBC-who struggled in the ratings after the election– could look very different this time next year.