Brian Williams 'Demoted' To MSNBC, Gets New Role at Lower Salary

NYTimes.com:

NBC said on Thursday that Brian Williams would stay with the network but was being removed as the evening news anchor after he made numerous “inaccurate statements” about his experiences in the field.

Mr. Williams will join MSNBC as anchor of breaking news and special reports. The move is a humbling blow for him both professionally and financially. Mr. Williams will earn less money in his new role than he was as anchor of the “Nightly News,’’ according to an NBC executive with knowledge of the agreement, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The person characterized it as “substantially’’ less money, but would not be more specific.

Under a contract Mr. Williams signed in December, he was reported to be making at least $10 million a year over five years.

Lester Holt, 56, an NBC veteran who has been filling in for Mr. Williams, will become chief anchor of the “Nightly News.’’ He is the first African-American to serve as solo anchor of a weekday evening newscast.

The network said that Mr. William’s embellishments, discovered through an internal investigation, “did not for the most part occur on NBC News platforms or in the immediate aftermath of the news events, but rather on late-night programs and during public appearances, usually years after the news events in question.”

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