Peter Alexander, the longtime NBC News chief White House correspondent, is leaving the network to join MS NOW as an anchor and chief national reporter. The 49-year-old journalist, who has been with NBC for 22 years, will anchor the 11 a.m. Eastern hour on MS NOW, succeeding Ana Cabrera, who is departing the network.
Alexander announced his departure from NBC News during the Saturday edition of “Today,” which he co-hosted with Laura Jarrett, but did not disclose his next move. A representative for MS NOW declined to comment on the hiring.
MS NOW, formerly known as MSNBC, was spun off from Comcast last year and is now part of a new company called Versant. The network has ended its once-close relationship with NBC News, requiring journalists who worked for both to choose between the two entities. Alexander is the first NBC journalist to move to MS NOW since the split.
The versatile anchor, known for his work in political journalism, has received numerous awards, including the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Political Journalism, Edward R. Murrow Awards, and Emmy Awards. He has also covered lifestyle programming and sports, including producing Olympics content for “Today.”
Several other NBC News journalists have already transitioned to MS NOW, including Jacob Soboroff, Vaughn Hillyard, Brandy Zadrozny, and Ali Vitali. Alexander’s deal with Versant also allows him to contribute to sports coverage on the company’s other cable properties, USA Network and the Golf Channel.