Chuck Todd to leave NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’; Welker will become host
The transition will happen in September, a major change at one of broadcast television oldest institutions
Todd, 51, said he was motivated by a desire to spend more time with his family and focus on long-form projects like documentary series and documentary dramas. “I’ve let work consume me for nearly 30 years,” he said. “I can’t remember the last time I didn’t wake up before 5 or 6 a.m., and as I’ve watched too many friends and family let work consume them before it was too late, I promised my family I wouldn’t do that.”
He also praised Welker, as the right person to succeed him in the job. “I’ve had the privilege of working with her from essentially her first day and let me just say she’s the right person in the right moment,” he told viewers.
Welker, 46, who joined NBC News in 2010, has long been trumpeted as a rising star at the network — and across the industry.
In her role as NBC’s chief White House correspondent, Welker has regularly guest-hosted “Meet the Press” and also co-hosts the streaming show “Meet the Press NOW,” which airs at 4 p.m. on weekdays.
“She is the ideal journalist to build on the Meet the Press legacy,” said NBC News president of editorial Rebecca Blumenstein and NBC News senior vice president of politics Carrie Budoff Brown, in a memo sent to staffers on Sunday morning.
Welker served as the moderator of the final 2020 presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, earning praise for her performance. In addition to being the youngest moderator of the presidential election cycle, she was also the only moderator of color.
During a period of declining viewership across broadcast and cable news, “Meet the Press” still draws big audiences, averaging 2.57 million total viewers in the 2021 to 2022 broadcast season. Among total viewers, the show trailed its competitors on CBS (“Face the Nation”) and ABC (“This Week”), though it came in second place in the age demographic most valued by advertisers.
Overall, however, the Sunday morning broadcast shows have declined from the social and political influence they once held.
Still, in announcing his departure from the program, Todd sought to put his role as moderator in the context of the country’s current political moment. “I leave feeling concerned about this moment in history but reassured by the standards we’ve set here,” he said. “We didn’t tolerate propagandists and this network and program never will. But it doesn’t mean sticking your head in the sand either; if you ignore reality, you’ll miss the biggest story.”
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