NewsHour Productions has recently taken over the operational reins of Washington Week, marking a significant consolidation of PBS’s national news programming under a unified management structure. This move brings two prominent public affairs programs, Washington Week and NewsHour, under the same production umbrella, prompting questions about the rationale and implications of this decision.
Washington Week, a long-standing Friday night political roundtable, has been a PBS fixture since 1970, originating from WETA in Washington, D.C., since its inception in 1967. Moderated by Yamiche Alcindor, the program holds a distinguished place in political journalism. NewsHour Productions, also a subsidiary of WETA, already manages the flagship NewsHour program.
The announcement of this operational shift was made by NewsHour Executive Producer (EP) Sara Just at a Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) board meeting. Just explained that Sharon Rockefeller, CEO of WETA, initiated this change to “maximize resources” across productions. The transition was effective immediately, coinciding with the departure of Jeff Bieber, the former WETA VP and EP of Washington Week, who has launched Bieber Productions, an independent documentary production company. While Bieber’s departure occurred simultaneously, WETA clarified that the management restructuring was part of a broader consolidation strategy and not directly related to his leaving.
Sara Just will temporarily assume the role of EP for Washington Week until a permanent replacement is appointed. The new EP will report directly to Just, signaling a clear hierarchical shift. According to a staff memo from Rockefeller and WETA EVP and COO Jason Daisey, this is an “operational shift” aligning with a “strategic examination” of optimizing the production of their expanding news portfolio.
Michael Rancilio serves as SVP and GM of NewsHour Productions, and the restructuring follows the retirement of Annette Miller, the subsidiary’s VP. This organizational change is part of a larger move to consolidate PBS’ national public affairs programs. NewsHour Productions is also set to take over the management of NewsHour Weekend, hosted by Geoff Bennett, by April 2022. NewsHour Weekend was previously co-produced with the Creative News Group at the WNET Group in New York City.
Kathy Merritt, SVP at CPB, emphasized the financial advantages of consolidating NewsHour Weekend within the WETA subsidiary during the CPB meeting. She stated that bringing all NewsHour productions “under one roof” was a decision made in consultation with PBS to ensure “more efficient and effective use of public media resources.”
Merritt further highlighted potential audience growth for NewsHour Weekend under the new structure, particularly in digital reach. NewsHour‘s YouTube channel amassed 466 million views in 2020, a 50% increase year-over-year, while its website saw 136 million page views, a 51% increase. Like many news outlets, NewsHour experienced audience growth during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Just elaborated that consolidating NewsHour and NewsHour Weekend operations would foster better collaboration and a more streamlined staffing structure. She pointed out that the separate video production computer systems used by the NewsHour Weekend team at WNET made sharing materials with the WETA-based team cumbersome.
The restructuring plan includes reorganizing staff schedules across the three programs, with some producers working across Wednesday to Sunday or Friday to Tuesday shifts. These changes will create versatile roles, allowing staff to contribute to NewsHour, Washington Week, and NewsHour Weekend, aiming for greater efficiency and resource sharing across these key PBS news programs.
