News 4 min read By Mason Emerson
Janelle Rodriguez, Architect of NBC News Now, to Leave Network
Janelle Rodriguez, the executive who built NBC News' streaming outlet NBC News Now and oversaw a leadership change at «NBC Nightly News,» is departing the network. Catherine Kim will expand her role to oversee streaming and specials.
Janelle Rodriguez, the NBC News executive who built and launched the network's live-streaming outlet NBC News Now and oversaw a rare changing of the guard at «NBC Nightly News,» is leaving the company. Rodriguez, who served as executive vice president of programming, announced her departure in a memo to staffers, writing that she had spent a long time considering her next move.
«I've spent a long time thinking about what comes next, and I've decided to leave now to pursue it. It's the right moment,» Rodriguez said in the memo. Her exit marks the end of a tenure in which she became a central figure in NBC News' push into streaming, a strategic priority for the network as audiences continue to shift away from traditional linear television.
Rodriguez's portfolio at NBC News was unusually broad. In addition to building NBC News Now, she oversaw «NBC Nightly News» and the network's breaking news and specials coverage. Her oversight of «Nightly News» included a notable anchor transition, a delicate programming decision that drew industry attention. The streaming channel she helped launch became a key platform for the network's live coverage and original programming.
Following her departure, Catherine Kim will expand her role to oversee the streaming channel and specials, according to the network. The transition is intended to maintain continuity for NBC News Now and the specials unit as the network continues to invest in its digital and streaming operations.
Rodriguez's decision to leave comes at a moment of significant change in the television news business. Streaming has become a central battleground for legacy broadcasters seeking to reach viewers who no longer watch scheduled programming. NBC News Now was designed to compete in that space, offering live coverage and original shows without the constraints of a traditional broadcast schedule.
The departure also highlights the broader churn in executive ranks across the news industry, where leaders who built streaming operations are now weighing their next moves. Rodriguez did not specify what she plans to pursue next, saying only that she had decided to leave now to pursue it.
Her memo struck a reflective tone, suggesting the decision was not abrupt. «I've spent a long time thinking about what comes next,» she wrote, framing her exit as a deliberate choice rather than a reaction to any single event. The network did not provide additional details about the timing of her departure or the full scope of Kim's expanded responsibilities.
For NBC News, the challenge will be sustaining the momentum of NBC News Now without the executive who helped conceive and build it. The streaming outlet has been positioned as a growth engine for the division, and its performance is closely watched as parent company NBCUniversal navigates a shifting media landscape.
Kim's expanded role signals that the network intends to keep streaming and specials under unified leadership. Her oversight will now include the channel Rodriguez built, along with the breaking news and specials programming that has long been a staple of NBC News' broadcast and digital offerings.
Rodriguez's exit is the latest in a series of leadership changes across major news organizations as they adapt to streaming-first strategies. The executives who built those operations are increasingly in demand, and their departures often signal new ventures or roles elsewhere in the industry.
For now, NBC News is moving forward with a leadership structure that places Kim at the center of its streaming and specials strategy. The network has not announced a direct replacement for Rodriguez's programming oversight, instead distributing her responsibilities as part of Kim's expanded portfolio.
