NBC News
The news division of the American broadcast television network NBC.
Last updated October 22, 2026
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Overview
NBC News is the news division of NBC, the American broadcast television network operated within NBCUniversal. It produces network television newscasts, morning and Sunday interview programming, election coverage, documentaries, investigative reports, special reports, and digital journalism through NBCNews.com. The division is part of NBCUniversal News Group, which also includes Noticias Telemundo; its relationship with MSNBC and CNBC has changed over time as Comcast and NBCUniversal have reorganized their news and information businesses. NBC News traces its broadcasting history to February 21, 1940, when it presented what is generally recognized as the first regularly scheduled television news program in the United States. Early operations developed during television’s experimental and postwar periods, using filmed newsreels, sponsored programs, affiliate facilities, and a growing network of correspondents. The Camel News Caravan, anchored by John Cameron Swayze, helped establish a recognizable nightly-news format before being replaced by The Huntley–Brinkley Report in 1956. The Huntley–Brinkley era made NBC News a leading force in American television journalism. Chet Huntley and David Brinkley formed a highly recognizable anchor partnership, supported by correspondents such as John Chancellor, Frank McGee, Sander Vanocur, Edwin Newman, and Nancy Dickerson. The division built a reputation for extensive coverage of civil rights, presidential politics, international affairs, and the American space program. Its reporting from Little Rock during the desegregation crisis, coverage of the civil-rights movement, and broadcasts surrounding the assassination and funeral of President John F. Kennedy demonstrated television news’s expanding role in public life. After Huntley’s retirement, NBC’s evening newscast adopted the title NBC Nightly News in 1970 and experienced a period of competitive difficulty. Tom Brokaw became sole anchor in 1983 and helped restore the program’s standing. Brian Williams succeeded Brokaw in 2004, but was suspended in 2015 after inaccuracies concerning his account of the 2003 Iraq invasion. Lester Holt subsequently became the permanent anchor and continued in that role according to the supplied reference material. NBC News’s major franchises include Today, NBC Nightly News, and Meet the Press. Today combines news, interviews, lifestyle coverage, and live reporting and is described as the first program of its genre. Meet the Press, a Sunday morning interview program, is identified as the longest-running American television series. The division also operates NBCNews.com and maintains access to extensive historical footage through the NBCUniversal Archives. The brand has also faced important editorial and reputational challenges. In 1993, NBC acknowledged that elements in an investigative report concerning General Motors trucks had been manipulated and settled GM’s resulting lawsuit. In 2012, the network apologized for editing a 911-call segment in a way that distorted the sequence and meaning of George Zimmerman’s statements before the shooting of Trayvon Martin. In 2015, NBC revised its initial account of the 2012 kidnapping of correspondent Richard Engel and his crew in Syria after subsequent reporting challenged the original attribution of responsibility. These incidents, together with the Brian Williams controversy, illustrate the standards, verification, and editorial pressures associated with a large breaking-news operation. NBC News remains an active American news brand with broadcast, digital, archival, and special-event operations. Its current structure and programming mix reflect the continuing convergence of television journalism, streaming distribution, websites, mobile products, social platforms, and shared NBCUniversal newsgathering resources.
History
NBC News emerged from NBC’s early television operations and began regular scheduled news broadcasting on February 21, 1940. The service initially worked with limited technology, small audiences, filmed reports, and affiliate stations. NBC’s live coverage of the 1940 Republican National Convention demonstrated the potential of network television, while wartime restrictions and the small number of television receivers limited the scale of early broadcasts. After World War II, NBC used filmed newsreels and sponsored formats, including NBC Television Newsreel and Camel News Caravan, to develop a recurring national news service. The division’s stature increased during the 1950s. The pairing of Chet Huntley and David Brinkley in The Huntley–Brinkley Report, which premiered in 1956, gave NBC a distinctive anchor format and helped make evening television news a central part of American life. NBC expanded its correspondent corps and invested in coverage of civil rights, national politics, international events, and science. Coverage of the Montgomery bus boycott, the Little Rock school integration crisis, the space program, and the 1963 Kennedy assassination helped establish television as a primary source of immediate national information. NBC’s 1969 coverage of the first Moon landing received an Emmy Award. Following Huntley’s retirement in 1970, NBC renamed its principal evening program NBC Nightly News. The division struggled against CBS and ABC during much of the 1970s, but Tom Brokaw’s tenure as sole anchor from 1983 helped strengthen the program. Nightly News regained first place in the ratings in the late 1990s and remained a central NBC franchise. Brian Williams became anchor in 2004 after Brokaw’s retirement; following the 2015 controversy over Williams’s Iraq-war account, Lester Holt assumed the anchor role permanently. NBC News also developed important morning, Sunday, political, and digital operations. Today became a leading morning news and information program, while Meet the Press became one of the defining Sunday political interview programs in the United States. The division expanded its internet presence through NBCNews.com and used shared resources with MSNBC and other NBCUniversal news operations. In 1995, NBC News entered a newsgathering agreement with Germany’s ZDF and moved its Frankfurt bureau to ZDF’s Mainz headquarters. The organization continued to invest in election coverage, including a dedicated decision-desk space established in 2015. The history of NBC News includes several major editorial controversies. The 1993 General Motors truck investigation led to a lawsuit and settlement after NBC admitted that test footage had been manipulated. In 2012, the network apologized for an inaccurately edited 911-call report concerning George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin. NBC later revised its account of the kidnapping of Richard Engel and his crew in Syria after further evidence disputed the initial explanation. These episodes, along with the Brian Williams suspension, placed emphasis on newsroom verification, transparency, and accountability. NBC News currently operates as part of NBCUniversal News Group under NBCUniversal and Comcast. Its activities encompass broadcast news, digital journalism, live coverage, political reporting, investigations, documentaries, special events, and archival material. The division’s principal broadcast production center is at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, and its digital news service is NBCNews.com.
- 2015
Lester Holt appointed permanent Nightly News anchor
[1]Following Brian Williams’s suspension, NBC announced Lester Holt as the permanent anchor of NBC Nightly News.
- 2007
High-definition studio launch
[1]NBC Nightly News moved to a high-definition studio at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
- 1995
NBC and ZDF share newsgathering resources
[1]The organizations agreed to cooperate on newsgathering, including NBC’s Frankfurt bureau relocation to Mainz.
- 1983
Tom Brokaw becomes sole anchor
[1]Tom Brokaw assumed sole anchor duties for NBC Nightly News.
- 1970
NBC Nightly News name adopted
[1]NBC’s principal evening newscast adopted its current title on August 3, 1970.
- 1963
Kennedy assassination coverage
[1]NBC interrupted regular programming and provided approximately 71 hours of coverage of the assassination and funeral of President John F. Kennedy.
- 1956
The Huntley–Brinkley Report debuts
[1]Chet Huntley and David Brinkley began the anchor partnership that made NBC News a leading television news organization.
- 1948
Election-night television coverage expands
[1]NBC partnered with Life magazine for coverage of Harry Truman’s unexpected presidential-election victory.
- 1940
First regularly scheduled American television newscast
[1]NBC News began a regularly scheduled television news program on February 21, 1940.
Products and positioning
A major American general-news organization positioned around national broadcast reach, breaking news, political reporting, investigative journalism, live special-event coverage, and established television news franchises.
Morning television news · 1952
Today
NBC’s flagship morning program combines live news, interviews, weather, consumer reporting, lifestyle segments, and cultural features. It is one of the network’s best-known and longest-running broadcast franchises and has served as a major platform for NBC News correspondents and anchors.
Evening television newscast · 1970
NBC Nightly News
NBC’s principal evening newscast provides national and international reporting, breaking news, political coverage, enterprise journalism, and live special reports. The program developed from earlier NBC evening-news formats and adopted its present title in 1970.
Sunday political interview program · 1947
Meet the Press
Meet the Press is NBC’s Sunday morning newsmaker and political interview program. It features interviews with public officials, candidates, experts, and journalists, and is recognized as the longest-running American television series.
Digital news website
NBCNews.com
NBC News’s official digital publication provides continuously updated reporting, live-news coverage, video, explainers, investigations, politics, business, science, health, culture, and other general-news sections.
Historical news archive
NBCUniversal Archives
The NBCUniversal Archives makes a substantial collection of historical NBC footage available online, preserving material from decades of television news and other NBC programming.
Controversies
2020
NBC News faces criticism for promoting Soleimani burial coverage
NBC News faced criticism after promoting live coverage of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani's burial on social media. The promotion drew public backlash, with critics questioning the network's decision to highlight the event. The incident became a subject of media commentary, focusing on the network's social media promotion of the burial coverage.
2020
SmileDirectClub sues NBC Universal over coverage
SmileDirectClub filed a lawsuit seeking approximately $2.8 billion from NBC Universal, alleging that reports about its teeth-straightening products contained defamatory statements. NBC News said it stood by its reporting and considered the claim meritless.
2020
NBC News apologizes for an inaccurately edited interview segment
NBC News apologized for a Meet the Press segment that cut part of an interview with Attorney General William Barr and left a false impression. The segment was described as inaccurately edited, and the apology addressed the impression created by the omission of part of the interview.
2020
NBC faces backlash over Trump town hall decision
NBC News faced public backlash, including a social media call to boycott the network, after agreeing to host President Donald Trump for a town hall in direct competition with ABC’s event with Joe Biden.
2015
Brian Williams Iraq-war account
NBC suspended Brian Williams after inaccuracies were identified in his account of reporting during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He was removed from the Nightly News anchor role and later moved to MSNBC.
2015
Revision of Richard Engel kidnapping report
NBC revised its original explanation of the 2012 kidnapping of Richard Engel and his crew in Syria after later reporting indicated that a Sunni criminal group affiliated with the Free Syrian Army was more likely responsible than the group initially identified.
2012
George Zimmerman 911-call editing
NBC edited a segment from George Zimmerman’s 911 call in a way that altered the apparent context of his remarks about Trayvon Martin. The network apologized after criticism from media-watchdog and press organizations.
1993
General Motors truck-safety report
NBC acknowledged that its Dateline report on the safety of General Motors trucks used manipulated test conditions, including incendiaries attached to fuel tanks. GM sued NBC, and the parties settled on the day NBC admitted the problem.
Brand decisions
2015
Replace Brian Williams with Lester HoltOtherBackground
Brian Williams was suspended after inaccurate statements about his Iraq-war reporting, creating a vacancy at the flagship evening newscast.
Action taken
NBC initially used Lester Holt as interim anchor and then named him permanent anchor; Williams moved to MSNBC.
Aftermath
Holt became the continuing anchor of NBC Nightly News, while NBC News leadership also changed under Andrew Lack.
1995
Share international newsgathering resources with ZDFStrategyBackground
International television news operations faced high bureau and reporting costs and benefited from cooperation with established local broadcasters.
Action taken
NBC News signed an agreement with Germany’s ZDF and moved its Frankfurt bureau to ZDF’s Mainz headquarters.
Aftermath
The arrangement supported NBC’s European newsgathering through shared infrastructure.
1970
Adopt the NBC Nightly News titleGeneration changeBackground
NBC needed to re-establish its evening-news franchise after the end of the Huntley–Brinkley era.
Action taken
The network renamed its principal evening newscast NBC Nightly News.
Aftermath
The program became NBC’s enduring flagship evening-news brand and later regained a leading competitive position.
Recent events
NBC News makes Decision 2020 widget available[8]
Reported:
NBC News made its Decision 2020 iOS 14 widget available, providing election information including polls, early voting statistics, news and results on users' home screens.
NBC faces backlash over Trump town hall decision[7]
Reported:
NBC News faced public backlash, including a social media call to boycott the network, after agreeing to host President Donald Trump for a town hall in direct competition with ABC’s event with Joe Biden.
NBC News launches TODAY All Day streaming service[9]
Reported:
NBC News announced a 24-hour streaming service called TODAY All Day, offering programming through TODAY.com and Peacock.
Weekdays and relative dates follow the original report; their exact calendar dates have not been verified.
SmileDirectClub sues NBC Universal over coverage[4]
Reported:
SmileDirectClub filed a lawsuit seeking approximately $2.8 billion from NBC Universal, alleging that reports about its teeth-straightening products contained defamatory statements. NBC News said it stood by its reporting and considered the claim meritless.
NBC News apologizes for an inaccurately edited interview segment[5]
Reported:
NBC News apologized for a Meet the Press segment that cut part of an interview with Attorney General William Barr and left a false impression.
NBC News apologizes for inaccurate interview edit[6]
Reported:
NBC News apologized for cutting a portion of Attorney General William Barr’s interview from a Meet the Press segment, saying the edit left a false impression and that it had inadvertently and inaccurately cut the video.
- Unconfirmed
NBCUniversal announces Andy Lack’s departure from NBC News[10]
NBCUniversal announced a restructuring under which NBC News chairman Andy Lack would leave at the end of the month, earlier than previously planned.
- Unconfirmed
NBC News faces criticism for promoting Soleimani burial coverage[3]
Reported:
NBC News faced criticism after promoting live coverage of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani's burial on social media.
Sources12 sources
- 1NBC Newsen.wikipedia.org
- 2NBC News official websitenbcnews.com
- 3NBC News faces criticism for promoting Soleimani burial coveragefoxnews.com
- 4SmileDirectClub sues NBC Universal over coverageyahoo.com
- 5NBC News apologizes for an inaccurately edited interview segment41nbc.com
- 6NBC News apologizes for an inaccurately edited interview segmentsandiegouniontribune.com
- 7NBC faces backlash over Trump town hall decisionlatimes.com
- 8NBC News推出Decision 2020小组件techcrunch.com
- 9NBC News推出TODAY All Day流媒体服务nbcnews.com
- 10NBCUniversal announces Andy Lack’s departure from NBC Newssott.net
- 11NBC faces backlash after agreeing to Trump town halltampabay.com
- 12SmileDirectClub just sued NBC for $2.8 billion, claiming reports about its teeth-straightening products were defamatorybusinessinsider.com
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