History of NBC News in Timeline
NBC News is the news division of NBC, operating under NBCUniversal News Group, a subsidiary of Comcast. Rebecca Blumenstein is the current president of NBC News. The NBCUniversal News Group includes Noticias Telemundo and Sky News. Previously, MSNBC, CNBC, and CNBC World were part of the group before separating in 2025 to form Versant.
1926: NBC Radio Network in Place
Since 1926, the NBC Radio Network had been in place.
June 1940: Coverage of Republican National Convention
In June 1940, NBC televised 30.25 hours of live coverage of the Republican National Convention from Philadelphia through its flagship station in New York City, W2XBS (later WNBT, now WNBC), making this among the first "network" programs of NBC Television.
1941: W2XBS renamed WNBT
In 1941, NBC's flagship station W2XBS was renamed commercial WNBT, which is now WNBC.
1944: No Live Telecasts of Conventions
Due to wartime and technical restrictions, there were no live telecasts of the 1944 conventions, although films of the events were reportedly shown over WNBT the next day.
1948: Election Night Coverage with Life Magazine
In 1948, NBC teamed up with Life magazine to cover President Harry S. Truman's victory on election night.
1948: NBC Television Newsreel
In 1948, after World War II, NBC Television Newsreel aired filmed news highlights with narration.
1949: Camel News Caravan
In 1949, NBC Television Newsreel was renamed Camel News Caravan after John Cameron Swayze was added as an on-camera anchor.
1950: David Brinkley Joins Camel News Caravan
In 1950, David Brinkley became the Washington correspondent for the Camel News Caravan.
1955: Coverage of Montgomery Bus Boycott
In 1955, NBC provided national coverage of Martin Luther King Jr.'s leadership of the Montgomery bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama.
October 29, 1956: Debut of The Huntley-Brinkley Report
On October 29, 1956, NBC's The Huntley–Brinkley Report debuted.
1956: Huntley and Brinkley Paired as Anchors
In 1956, NBC paired Chet Huntley and David Brinkley as anchors, who became celebrities, supported by a team of reporters.
April 1962: Walter Cronkite anchors CBS News
Beginning in April 1962, Walter Cronkite anchored the CBS News competition to The Huntley-Brinkley Report.
November 22, 1963: Coverage of JFK Assassination
On November 22, 1963, NBC interrupted programming to announce President John F. Kennedy had been shot and carried 71 hours of uninterrupted news coverage of the assassination and funeral, including the only live broadcast of the shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald.
1969: Emmy Award for Moon Landing Coverage
In 1969, NBC's coverage of the first Moon landing earned the network an Emmy Award.
1973: Richard Wald President
1981: Death of Lowell Thomas
In 1981, Lowell Thomas, the anchor of the first regularly scheduled American television newscast, passed away.
December 1983: NBC News Overnight Canceled
1983: Tom Brokaw Sole Anchor
In 1983, Tom Brokaw became the sole anchor of Nightly News, after co-anchoring with Roger Mudd for a year.
1986: NBC Wins Top Spot in Nielsens
In 1986, NBC won the top spot in the Nielsens for the first time in years.
1987: NBC Wins Top Spot in Nielsens
In 1987, NBC won the top spot in the Nielsens again.
1989: Tom Brokaw witnesses fall of Berlin Wall
In 1989, Tom Brokaw of NBC News was the only American television news correspondent to witness the fall of the Berlin Wall.
1993: Andrew Lack President
1993: Dateline NBC GM Trucks Report
In 1993, Dateline NBC broadcast a rigged investigative report about the safety of General Motors' (GM) trucks, leading to a lawsuit and settlement.
1996: Nightly News Moves Into First Place
In late 1996, Nightly News moved into first place in the ratings.
1997: Canal de Noticias Closed
In 1997, Canal de Noticias, NBC's 24-hour news service aimed at Latin American viewers, closed.
1998: NBC Nightside replaced by NBC All Night
In 1998, NBC Nightside was replaced by "NBC All Night," which featured reruns of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with Conan O'Brien.
2001: Neal Shapiro President
2003: Invasion of Iraq
In 2003, Brian Williams told an inaccurate story about his experience in the invasion of Iraq.
December 2004: Brian Williams Assumes Anchor Duties
In December 2004, Brian Williams assumed primary anchor duties when Tom Brokaw retired.
2005: Steve Capus President
January 1, 2007: Poker After Dark on NBC All Night
Beginning January 1, 2007, NBC All Night included Poker After Dark in its programming.
June 2008: Tim Russert's Death
In June 2008, Tim Russert, the moderator of Meet the Press, passed away.
December 14, 2008: David Gregory New Moderator
On December 14, 2008, David Gregory became the new moderator of Meet the Press.
2009: NBC Establishes Network News Leadership
By 2009, NBC had established leadership in network news, airing the highest-rated morning, evening, and Sunday interview news programs.
September 23, 2011: End of Poker After Dark on NBC All Night
On September 23, 2011, Poker After Dark was no longer part of the NBC All Night lineup.
2011: Today Retains Airing Separately on 2nd Avenue
Until 2011, Today retained its separate airing on 2nd Avenue in the Philippines.
December 2013: Early Today Dropped by 9TV
In December 2013, Early Today was officially dropped from 9TV in the Philippines, replaced by repeats of Inside Edition.
2013: New theme for Today
In 2013, "Scherzo for Today," the third movement of The Mission, was replaced as the theme for Today by a new theme by Alan Gubman.
August 10, 2014: Gregory's Last Broadcast
August 10, 2014, was David Gregory's last broadcast as moderator of Meet the Press.
August 14, 2014: Chuck Todd New Moderator Announcement
On August 14, 2014, NBC announced that Chuck Todd would take over as the 12th moderator of Meet the Press.
September 7, 2014: Chuck Todd Moderator
On September 7, 2014, Chuck Todd started as the new moderator of Meet the Press.
September 2014: Today Dropped by 9TV
In September 2014, Today was dropped by 9TV in the Philippines to make room for weekend children's programming.
2014: Harassment During the Olympics
In 2014, Matt Lauer sexually harassed an NBC employee during the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, according to a report that led to his termination in 2017.
February 2015: Brian Williams Suspended
In February 2015, Brian Williams was suspended by NBC for six months due to an inaccurate story about his experience in the 2003 invasion of Iraq; Lester Holt replaced him on an interim basis.
March 2015: NBC Nightly News Dropped by 9TV
In March 2015, NBC Nightly News was dropped by 9TV in the Philippines, due to the firing of Brian Williams and the move of Lester Holt to main anchor.
April 2015: Revised Kidnapping Account
In April 2015, NBC revised the kidnapping account of Richard Engel, suggesting a different group was responsible.
June 18, 2015: Holt Becomes Permanent Anchor
On June 18, 2015, Lester Holt was announced as the permanent anchor of the Nightly News, while Brian Williams would move to MSNBC as an anchor of breaking news and special reports starting in August.
March 31, 2016: Today Surpasses Good Morning America
As of March 31, 2016, NBC's Today became the first-place morning news show, surpassing Good Morning America in total viewers.
November 2016: NBCUniversal to Purchase Stake in Euronews
In November 2016, NBCUniversal announced its intent to purchase a 25% stake in Euronews.
June 2017: Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly Premieres
In June 2017, the newsmagazine Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly premiered on NBC.
September 2017: Megyn Kelly Today Premieres
In September 2017, Megyn Kelly Today, the daytime talk show hosted by Megyn Kelly, premiered on NBC.
November 29, 2017: Matt Lauer Fired
On November 29, 2017, Matt Lauer's employment was terminated by NBC News after allegations of sexual harassment during the 2014 Winter Olympics and continuing afterwards.
2017: Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee
In 2017, Ronna McDaniel became the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee (RNC).
April 2018: Farrow's Weinstein Story Wins Pulitzer Prize
In April 2018, a story on Harvey Weinstein's alleged behavior, originally pitched to NBC but rejected, and later published in The New Yorker Magazine, won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.
October 2018: Kelly Attracts Blackface Controversy
In late-October 2018, Megyn Kelly received criticism for defending blackface in Halloween costumes on Megyn Kelly Today.
April 2020: NBCUniversal Sells Stake in Euronews
In April 2020, NBCUniversal sold its stake in Euronews.
2020: 2020 Presidential Election
In 2020, Ronna McDaniel, made false claims of voter fraud after Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election, which she sought to overturn.
2021: The Overview Launched on Peacock
In 2021, The Stay Tuned team launched The Overview on Peacock.
March 2024: NBC Hires Ronna McDaniel
In March 2024, NBC News hired Ronna McDaniel, former chairwoman of the Republican National Committee (RNC).
March 26, 2024: NBC Fires Ronna McDaniel
On March 26, 2024, NBC News announced that the network would not hire Ronna McDaniel after on-air protests.
November 2024: NBCUniversal to Divest Cable Networks
In November 2024, Comcast announced that NBCUniversal would divest most of its cable networks, including CNBC and MSNBC, to a new company controlled by its shareholders, later named Versant.
November 15, 2025: MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW
On November 15, 2025, MSNBC rebranded as MS NOW.
2025: Split from NBCUniversal into Versant
In 2025, MSNBC, CNBC, and CNBC World split from NBCUniversal to form Versant.
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