Jan. 25, 2021 – Washington, D.C. – NBCU News Group debuted its new state-of-the-art studios and expansive Washington Bureau yesterday with Meet the Press live from the network’s new D.C. headquarters for the first time.
NINE PROGRAMS TO BROADCAST FROM NEW BUREAU IN 2021
The new bureau spans six floors and 80,000 square feet, with seven studios for programming across NBCU News Group’s flagship networks: NBC News, MSNBC,and CNBC. Also in the bureau are NBC News Channel, Noticias Telemundo, and Sky News’ Washington operations.
Nine programs across NBC News and MSNBC will begin broadcasting from the new bureau in 2021, including the network’s #1 flagship Sunday public affairs program, Meet the Press with Chuck Todd, and Weekend TODAY with Peter Alexander and Kristen Welker on NBC News. Plus, programming across MSNBC primetime, dayside, mornings and weekends will originate from there, including The ReidOut with Joy Reid, MTP Daily, Andrea Mitchell Reports, MSNBC Live with Hallie Jackson, Way Too Early with Kasie Hunt, The Cross Connection with Tiffany Cross and The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart.
The bureau will also serve as home base for special programming for TODAY, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, NBC News Special Reports, and MSNBC special coverage for future major Washington events such as inaugurations, State of the Union Addresses, and more.
The spacious studios and modern workspaces will be the headquarters for more than 400 NBCU News Group employees, including the networks’ White House, Capitol Hill and political units; the investigative, national security, Pentagon, Justice Department, foreign affairs, and transportation reporting teams; the network’s Washington-based NBC News Digital operations; and producers for TODAY, NBC Nightly News and MSNBC.
CNBC, which has had an editorial presence in Washington since the network’s debut in 1989, will continue to intensify its focus on the intersection of business and politics. The new space will offer the network heightened technology and allow for further expansion of CNBC Digital’s politics team and improved direct broadcast coverage of the latest news happening in the nation’s capital.
The move to the new bureau also reaffirms Noticias Telemundo’s commitment to providing Latinos with comprehensive and reliable news from the nation’s capital. Since 1996, Noticias Telemundo’s Washington-based reporting has led to distinctive Spanish-language news coverage of the issues most important to U.S. Hispanics. The new space provides Noticias Telemundo with enhanced tools and resources to continue being the leading news provider for U.S. Hispanics.
BUREAU DESIGN INSPIRED BY ICONIC WASHINGTON, D.C. ARCHITECTURE
Inspired by the prominent neoclassical and federal-style architecture found throughout the nation’s capital and neighboring Union Station, NBCU News Group’s new Washington bureau boasts 14-foot high ceilings with a coffered ceiling reminiscent of Union Station’s Main Hall. Modern lighting, contemporary finishes and state-of-the-art technology — including 650 square feet of tracking LED walls — reflect today’s modern newsroom aesthetic and advances in broadcast production.
Ten-foot floor-to-ceiling windows circle the main first floor studio, similar to Studio 1A at NBC News Headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York, allowing the public to see and experience news production live and in person. Plus, exterior-facing LED screens showcasing live programming and running news-tickers flank the facade of the building.
“Accuracy,” “Courage,” “Freedom,” “Truth” and quotes from former presidents, scholars, and authors all reinforcing the importance of a free press are etched into columns throughout the studio and newsroom spaces.
MOVE FOLLOWS 60 YEARS OF BROADCASTING FROM HISTORIC NORTHWEST D.C. STUDIOS
The move follows more than 60 years of NBC News broadcasting from the historic 4001 Nebraska Ave. studios where President Eisenhower joined NBC President Robert Sarnoff in 1958 for the formal dedication of the network’s Washington operations.
The famed bureau was the location of the second Nixon-Kennedy debate, the first television appearance of The Muppets, and was home to the longest running program in television history, Meet the Press, for several decades.
A plaque still adorns the entrance of 4001 Nebraska Ave. dedicated to Ted Yates, an NBC News producer killed covering the Six-Day War in 1967. David Bloom, an NBC News correspondent who died on assignment during the Iraq War in 2003, was also based at the Nebraska Ave. location.
Over the years, news broadcast legends like David Brinkley, Tim Russert, Irving R. Levine, Robert Hager, Gwen Ifill, John Palmer, Judy Woodruff, Katie Couric, Chris Matthews, Brian Williams, Chris Wallace, Tom Brokaw, Savannah Guthrie and more have all called the storied bureau home.
WRC-TV NBC4 and WZDC/Telemundo 44 will continue to broadcast from 4001 Nebraska Ave.
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As NBCU News Group continues to broadcast, report and operate amid the pandemic and global impact of Covid-19, more than 90 percent of the company’s workforce will continue to work remotely through at least the second quarter of 2021. While many Washington-based programs will be anchored from the new bureau, the majority of producers and support staff will continue to work remotely as the company continues to abide by CDC guidelines.
Marc Greenstein is the Senior Vice President of Design & Production for NBC News and MSNBC. Ken Strickland is NBC News Vice President and Washington Bureau Chief. Stacy Brady is the Executive Vice President & General Manager of NBC News Field & Production Operations. Jay Hurt is the Vice President of Engineering and Operations for NBC News Washington Bureau. Matt Cuddy is the CNBC Washington Bureau Chief. Lori Montenegro is the Noticias Telemundo Washington Bureau Chief.
Architectural firms include Lawson, Meridian and Gensler. DPR was the primary construction contractor. Newsroom and studio designs by NBC News’ Marc Greenstein and Bryan Higgason of HD Studios. Lighting design by The Lighting Design Group. Scenic elements by Black Walnut. Technical systems integration by Beck-TV.
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For more information, contact:
Richard Hudock
NBC News
e: Richard.Hudock@nbcuni.com
Joya Manasseh
NBC News
e: Joya.Manasseh@nbcuni.com
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