If news breaks on the weekends, Raelyn Johnson is on hand to ensure that her network, MSNBC, is ready to tackle it.
As the director of weekend programming at MSNBC, she is responsible for the network’s entire weekend slate, including weekend talent, executive producers, and show teams, as well as managing daily content and breaking news situations.
Prior to her most recent role, Johnson, who joined MSNBC in 2017, has held various senior positions at the company, including senior producer and executive producer, among others. She has also worked at Al Jazeera, CNN, and ABC News.
Her plate has been full in recent weekends as she has had to cover major news events, including the ICE protests, the recent U.S. airstrikes in Iran, the murders of the Minnesota lawmakers, and the recent flooding tragedy in central Texas.
In addition to covering the news, MSNBC has launched several new programs under her watch, including the recent weekend programming revamp, which expanded The Weekend franchise with an evening version, The Weekend: Primetime in May.
Johnson, who is also running for the vice president broadcast position in the upcoming NABJ officer elections, answered TVNewser’s questions about what her role entails, as well as the looming transition from the NBCUniversal News Group and into the Versant family.
1. Please explain what the Director of Weekend Programming’s responsibilities are.
I see my role as making sure we are set up for success from an editorial standpoint every weekend. It means ensuring we have the right presence on air and within the producing teams so we are showing up for our audience, covering the stories impacting them, recapping the week, and looking ahead at what is to come. So much of this role is about focusing on content that feels authentic to each show and host and collaborating across platforms to uplift our journalism. Plus, it wouldn’t be a weekend if there weren’t breaking news, which requires regular game-time decisions that impact programming across every daypart and pivoting to remain competitive.
2. What was it like relaunching The Weekend and expanding it to the evenings?
We were really looking to add to our wins, the panel shows that reflect the different views while staying on the news, and encouraging people to have curious conversations. We also found that we often expand our coverage in the morning or at night, so we’ve incorporated that into the ecosystem now, with more hosts to wake up to or to send us off in the evening.
We recognize that the business is evolving, and we aim to stay ahead. These last few months, we’ve asked everyone to challenge themselves, and I decided one of the best things for me to do was to put that same responsibility on myself, which is why I am running for vice president of broadcast for NABJ. In the organization’s 50th year, I’ve been thinking so much about legacy and how grateful I am to all the mentors I have in this industry, and I wanted to pay it forward. Every single day, I see small acts of kindness turn into partnerships, collaborations, or career opportunities. Now more than ever, it’s time to show up for broadcast journalists and arm ourselves with the tools we need to continue speaking truth to power.
