NBC Nightly News Expands Senior Leadership Team

America's number-one evening newscast, "NBC Nightly News with BrIan Williams," will expand its senior leadership team, executive producer Bob Epstein announced today.  Jamie Kraft will join the "Nightly News" team as Senior Broadcast Producer.   Kraft, who most recently served as Executive Producer of CNN's "American Morning," will primarily oversee day of air production. 

Senior Broadcast Producer Aurelia Percy Grayson will add to her responsibilities future planning and production.  AnDrew Franklin will be promoted to Senior Producer of Foreign Coverage.  Franklin most recently served as Special Projects Producer for the show, and is a thirty-five year veteran of NBC News.  

"This hire and these moves are all about us expanding and improving upon Nightly News' position of strength," said Epstein.  "Jamie's tremendous experience and skills covering breaking news and working in live television are the perfect complement to the talented staff at 'Nightly News.' I am thrilled to have him join this team."

"These announcements symbolize this news division's investment in the 'Nightly News' franchise," said Alex Wallace, SVP of NBC News.  "Nightly News is as strong as it has ever been and that's a testament to its talented team, on-air and off, to its leadership and to BrIan Williams."

These hires and promotions will enhance "Nightly News'" mission of growth and evolution of the show and its brand.  "Nightly News" is the dominant evening news program. As of Dec. 5th, "Nightly" is averaging 8.5 million viewers for the fourth quarter of 2010, topping ABC's 7.4 million average and CBS' 5.7 million average. "Nightly" has won for 64 consecutive weeks, and in 111 of the past 112 weeks in total viewers.

Kraft has served as executive producer at "American Morning" for two years.  Prior to that he was a senior producer for three years at "Anderson Cooper 360."  Kraft went to CNN from CBS News where he worked for more than thirteen years on "60 Minutes," "CBS Evening News," "48 Hours" and "Street Stories."
 
While at CBS Kraft won a Gracie award, three Emmy awards and a New York Press Club award.  While at CNN, Kraft was part of the coverage teams that earned two George Foster Peabody awards for its Katrina reporting and the 2008 Presidential Campaigns and Debates, plus an Edward R. Murrow Award for the Lebanon/Israeli conflict and two Emmy awards for "Anderson Cooper 360." "American Morning" also received a Daytime Emmy nomination for Best Morning Show while Kraft was Executive Producer.
 
Kraft earned his bachelor's degree in journalism and economics from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. He resides in New Jersey with his wife and four children, and coaches three of his children's soccer teams.
 

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