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Cory Gnazzo has been named executive producer of The Rachel Maddow Show. Gnazzo, who has been a senior producer on the MSNBC program for several years, takes over for Bill Wolff. The promotion is effective immediately.
Followers of the show will recognize Gnazzo from the show’s blog, where he often previews what’s coming up on the 9 p.m. program. He has also accompanied Maddow on numerous reporting trips, including her 2010 sojourn to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Wolff — who was also vp primetime programming at MSNBC — left the network earlier this summer to re-invent the ABC daytime staple The View.
The change at The Rachel Maddow Show comes as MSNBC finds itself in a summer ratings slump while breaking news — including the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17, unrest in Ferguson, Mo., the Ebola outbreak in Africa and continuing violent confrontations in the Middle East — has helped to buoy CNN, MSNBC’s chief cable news rival.
For the month of July, CNN overtook MSNBC in total day; the network dropped 33 percent year-over-year among viewers 25-54, the critical demographic for TV news. The Rachel Maddow Show had its lowest month ever in June, and only marginally improved in July.
Still, Maddow maintains a loyal audience. And the network should see improvement as the 2016 presidential election heats up. It’s already shaping up to be a barn-burner, with open fields in both parties and Hillary Clinton expected to seek the Democratic presidential nomination.
In a statement, MSNBC president Phil Griffin noted that Gnazzo’s “dedication to the show and his passion for news makes him well deserving of this opportunity.”
Gnazzo, continued Griffin, “has been with the Maddow Show since its launch in 2008 and won an Emmy for the live Afghanistan show in 2011. Cory joined MSNBC in 2000 as producer for The News With Brian Williams, where he also won an Emmy for his work. Fourteen years at MSNBC, that virtually makes him a lifer.”
Added Maddow: “Cory Gnazzo has been an integral and visionary part of the senior leadership of this show from day one. He is both respected and loved by everyone on this staff, and we’re all looking forward to moving on under his leadership.”
Sept. 1, 11:51 p.m. Updated with statements from Griffin and Maddow.
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