Andrew Lack is an American media executive and journalist best known for leading major news and media organizations such as NBC News, Bloomberg Media, and Sony Music, and for his recent work building nonprofit local news outlets and civic-minded programming.

Quick Scoop: Who is Andrew Lack?

  • Longtime television news producer turned top media executive.
  • Former president and later chairman/CEO of NBC News, where he oversaw shows like NBC Nightly News, Today, Meet the Press, and Dateline.
  • Former CEO of Bloomberg Media Group and former chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment.
  • First CEO and director of the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors (now USAGM), overseeing Voice of America and Radio Free Europe.
  • Currently focused on nonprofit, digital-first local journalism (Deep South Today / Mississippi Today) and on public-affairs programming like the series “Breaking the Deadlock.”

In short, he’s a high-profile figure in modern American news and media, with a career that runs from old-school network TV to today’s nonprofit local journalism and public-television debates.

Early Career and Rise in News

  • Started as a producer at CBS News in the late 1970s, working on flagship programs like 60 Minutes and CBS Reports, and producing major documentaries such as “The Boat People” and “Inside Afghanistan.”
  • His work at CBS earned multiple awards, including numerous Emmy and DuPont-Columbia prizes for investigative and documentary journalism.

In 1993, he was hired to run NBC News during a credibility crisis, tasked with rebuilding trust after a Dateline NBC scandal involving a staged truck explosion.

NBC, MSNBC, and Big-Media Roles

At NBC News, Lack:

  • Pushed NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw back to the top of the evening-news ratings.
  • Greatly expanded Dateline NBC from a weekly show to multiple nights a week.
  • Reshaped the Today show by bringing in Matt Lauer and building the glass-front Studio 1A, helping Today dominate morning ratings for years.
  • Helped launch MSNBC in 1996 as a joint cable and digital venture between NBC and Microsoft.

Later, he moved into broader media leadership:

  • Served as chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment in the 2000s.
  • Ran Bloomberg Media Group, where he pushed a global “every-screen strategy,” expanding Bloomberg TV, digital, and radio operations worldwide.
  • Became the first CEO/director of the U.S. government’s international broadcasting arm (BBG/USAGM), overseeing outlets like Voice of America and Radio Free Europe.

Awards, Reputation, and Current Work

  • Widely described as a 16-time Emmy Award winner and four-time Peabody Award recipient for his work as a producer and executive.
  • Seen as a powerful, sometimes controversial figure in U.S. media, especially for his role in shaping network news, cable news, and corporate media strategy.

Today, his focus is more civic and local:

  • Executive producer of “Breaking the Deadlock,” an Emmy-nominated public TV series staging real-time discussions on law, politics, and ethics.
  • Executive chairman and founder of Mississippi Today and its broader nonprofit network Deep South Today, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 2023 for its investigative reporting.
  • Active speaker and mentor on press freedom, investigative journalism, and the business sustainability of local news.

Mini FAQ

  1. Is Andrew Lack a journalist or an executive?
    He started as a journalist and documentary producer, but is now best known as a senior media executive who has run some of the biggest news and media companies in the world.
  1. What is he doing lately?
    He’s producing “Breaking the Deadlock” for PBS and helping build nonprofit, investigative local news organizations in the American South, while speaking at journalism summits and universities.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.