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| Jamie Horowitz |
Horowitz, who was hired last year following a negotiation with ABC to allow him out of his ESPN contract early to take the reins as SVP of “Today,” was fired by NBC News President Deborah Turness.
Horowitz, who has recently been on a “listening tour” taking in the opinions of “Today” staff, was released from his job even before his official Dec. 1 start date when he was due to oversee all four hours of the show.
An NBC source said, “There was a lot of insecurity and instability created when he walked in the door. He would pit anchors against anchors and producers against producers and it created a lot of internal problems. He would ask the staff who they wanted to be their seniors and who were the weakest links in the organization. While a fresh eye was welcomed to help beat ‘GMA,’ everybody felt their jobs were on the line. Jamie is a smart guy, but this approach didn’t work on such a big, tight-knit show. The show has been through a very tough time in the last few weeks.”
Turness said in an NBC memo Monday night:
‘Dear All:
I want to let you know that, effective today, Jamie Horowitz will be leaving NBC News.Jamie joined us in September as General Manager of the TODAY brand. He’s a talented producer and executive, but, together, he and I have come to the conclusion that this is not the right fit.
Because of the hard work of so many of you, and an anchor team that is hitting on all cylinders, the show has great momentum and is closing the ratings gap. The exclusives keep coming and there is a great energy both on- and off-air, and in digital and social. My focus – as always – is to support this special brand and its amazing and dedicated staff, and to position it for continued success.
The role of General Manager remains an important one, and will be filled in due course. In the interim, I will work closely with both Don Nash and Jen Brown to oversee TODAY.
Please join me in thanking Jamie and wishing him the best.
Deborah’
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