REDMOND, Wash., March 9, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- MSNBC.com, the nation's No. 1 TV news website, announces the addition of Randy Stearns to its editorial leadership team. As the Deputy Editor, East Coast, Stearns will serve as the site's key liaison with NBC News and lead the effort to maximize the online synergy across all NBC News properties. He will also supervise MSNBC.com's editorial organizations on the East Coast and oversee the site's extensive online video operation. He joins MSNBC.com from ABCNews.com where he has held editorial and management positions of increasing authority over the past eight years, including Executive Producer and most recently Executive Director of Product Development and Strategy. This announcement was made today by Jennifer Sizemore, Managing Editor, MSNBC.com.
"Randy Stearns is an immensely talented journalist and we're thrilled to have him leading our East Coast operation," said Sizemore. "His proven leadership, wide network experience and new media expertise are amazing additions to our editorial executive team."
"This announcement is just one more example of our enthusiasm for and commitment to the MSNBC.com partnership," said NBC News Senior Vice President Cheryl Gould. "Having Randy as part of our operation will streamline our efforts to get NBC News material on the site in creative ways. Randy is a respected veteran of both the broadcast and web worlds, and we are thrilled to welcome him to the team."
Stearns led the team that created the Internet's first 24/7 video news channel in March 2003, and contributed to ABC News' coverage of many landmark events, including the Sept. 11 attacks, Presidential elections in 2000 and 2004 and the War with Iraq. An Everett, Washington, native, he holds a bachelor's degree from Whitman College and an M.A. in American History from Rutgers University.
ABOUT MSNBC.com:
MSNBC.com, the award-winning news site widely recognized as the best on the Internet, is the exclusive online channel for the NBC Universal News family, which includes the Today show, NBC Nightly News, Dateline NBC, Meet the Press and MSNBC TV. MSNBC.com's driving force is to provide the optimal consumer experience, presenting a diverse range of original content and the best from our partners in a rich multi-media environment that includes interactive features and free streaming video, allowing users to access the news and information they want, when they want it, 24 hours a day. Based in Redmond, WA, MSNBC.com is a joint venture of Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT) and NBC Universal News (NYSE:GE).