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The veteran White House correspondent will now anchor the 11 a.m. hour at the cable news network.
By Alex Weprin
Senior Editor
Peter Alexander, the veteran NBC News chief White House correspondent and the co-anchor of the Saturday edition of the Today show, is leaving the network and jumping to MS NOW.
The reporter will anchor the 11 a.m. hour at MS NOW as well as hold the title of chief national reporter, the network’s top exec, Rebecca Kutler, told staff on Monday. The move was speculated about after the cable network conspicuously left open the hour amid a lineup overhaul announced last week.
A 20-year veteran of NBC News, Alexander has been chief White House correspondent for the network since 2023, and has worked as a White House correspondent and a national correspondent for NBC since 2012. He has co-anchored the Saturday edition of Today since 2018.
The journalist is the 10th NBC News veteran to land at MS NOW following the spinoff of the cable brand from NBCUniversal to its new parent company, Versant.
Alexander is one of the longest-tenured members of the White House press corps, and was working there on Jan. 6, 2021 amid the U.S. Capitol riot. He spoke to The Hollywood Reporter the following day about the experience.
“When I walked out yesterday, I put my mask on my face, my bag over my shoulder, I have my security guy with me and put my head down because as a correspondent who covers the White House, we knew not to make eye contact with these folks who were, as they indicated, out to get folks,” Alexander said. “As I marched through them, they were yelling ‘stop the steal!, stop the f-ing steal!’ and repeating this language that they have been marinating in from the president, and from different parts of the media universe.”
Kutler’s full memo to staff is below:
Team,
I am excited to welcome award-winning veteran journalist Peter Alexander to MS NOW. He will serve as the new anchor of the 11 a.m. hour, as our chief national reporter, and as a breaking news anchor. He will also contribute to sports and lifestyle programming across the VERSANT portfolio.
As you may have seen, Peter signed off from his role as chief White House correspondent for NBC News and co-anchor of Saturday TODAY over the weekend. For more than two decades, Peter has built a reputation for his professionalism, intrepid reporting, and sharp questioning of presidents of both parties. He is one of the most respected and beloved journalists in the Washington press corps, and we are honored to have him join our newsroom.
A recipient of the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Political Journalism and a member of teams honored with prestigious Edward R. Murrow and Emmy Awards, Peter has reported on some of the most consequential news stories of the last two decades, both here at home and abroad. From major political events, including four presidencies and campaigns, to moments that shaped our collective experience, like the “Miracle on the Hudson,” the tragic tsunami in Indonesia, conflicts overseas, and much more.
Most recently, Peter led NBC News’ breaking news coverage of the capture of Venezuela’s leader Nicolás Maduro, anchored live coverage of the start of the war in Iran, and conducted the first live interview with the Iranian Foreign Minister.
Whether behind the anchor desk or reporting from the field, Peter is also the rare journalist who can straddle lifestyle, politics, and breaking news with ease. As co-anchor of Saturday TODAY, Peter has demonstrated this unique versatility. He brought compassion and humanity to the weekends, building a connection with viewers, all while leading the network’s White House coverage.
He has covered four Olympics for NBC, including the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games. We’re excited he will be able to bring his avid fandom and rich sports knowledge to programming across VERSANT’s portfolio.
Peter is no stranger to MS NOW audiences, and he joins our growing newsroom of award-winning reporters and lineup of trusted anchors at a time when we are seeing significant momentum. With the midterm elections quickly approaching and the 2028 presidential election already on the horizon, we look forward to him building a daily relationship with the loyal MS NOW audience as our newest anchor and chief national reporter.
We’re officially three months in as MS NOW at VERSANT. As we build momentum, talented journalists like Peter want to join us. Stay tuned, there’s much more to come.
Rebecca
March 30 Updated with Alexander’s appointment at MS NOW
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