Alison Morris leaving NBC News Now

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Alison Morris, who was the first full-time anchor of NBC News Now starting in 2019, is leaving for an “exciting new adventure in Paris,” according to a memo sent to NBC News staffers by executive Janelle Rodriguez.

Rodriguez credited Morris for helping shape the 24-hour free news streaming service to what it is today.

Today, NBC News Now features anchored coverage and live feeds of special events during much of its dayside hours, though it originally had limited live anchors except during breaking news coverage and relied heavily on computer-generated graphics and text to tell stories.

Morris’ 3 to 5 p.m. hour will be replaced with “Meet the Press Now” a 4 p.m., which will essentially be the current MSNBC show “MTP Daily” in a new home.

The preceding hour will be taken over by Aaron Gilchrist at the anchor desk from 2 to 4 p.m. He will anchor solo, with his current co-anchor Morgan Radford moving to 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. alongside Vicky Nguyen.

Hi everyone,

I am pleased to share a few exciting changes and additions coming to NBC News NOW in early June.

Following the success of Meet the Press Reports and an ongoing series of midterm election specials from the Meet the Press team, Chuck Todd will bring his daily show – MTP Daily – to NBC News NOW. It will be titled Meet the Press NOW, streaming at 4 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.

Chuck was an early adapter to the streaming space with Meet the Press Reports, which is now in the middle of its fourth season, and the feedback we’ve received from viewers on the election streaming specials have been immense. His enthusiasm about growing Meet the Press beyond the Sunday show and evolving the program for the streaming audience is a prime example of our mission at News NOW: to bring viewers the best of what NBC News has to offer.

We have another new daily face coming to News NOW who is no stranger to NBC News audiences — Vicky Nguyen will join Morgan Radford as co-host of the 11-1 p.m. block of News NOW. Vicky is a brilliant storyteller, leading our Racism Virus specials — which return for a second installment in May — and will be a fantastic addition to our daily lineup.

Aaron Gilchrist will also anchor a news program from 2-4 p.m. For over a year, Aaron has been a face for viewers to turn to amid breaking news. He has guided us through some of the most pressing stories in the last year, and I can’t wait to see the new program Aaron and his team build.

Alison Morris has decided to explore an exciting new adventure in Paris and will be leaving NBC News NOW after an incredible run of nearly three years. Alison has believed in the work we are doing here since day one, becoming News NOW’s first full-time anchor back in 2019. Without a doubt, she has shaped so much of what News NOW is today.

This all comes at a time when the momentum is on our side in delivering original streaming programming to our viewers. We are the established leader in the streaming news space and as all eyes begin to look toward a consequential midterm election, the importance of bringing our political journalism to streaming audiences is more important than ever. We have the whole News Group on our side in this mission, and with Cesar’s commitment to streaming and investment in us, we continue to climb. This past month alone, we reached 120 million video views and over 40 million hours watched, up 130% from March 2021.

I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built here and of the quality journalism we are putting out each day — from our anchors, to our correspondents in the field, to our producers, desk teams and everyone else making this happen every single day. Thank you for all that you do, this growth wouldn’t be possible without the hard work of each and every one of you.

Janelle