NBC News has promoted Chloe Arensberg to Washington bureau chief. She’ll succeed Ken Strickland, who is himself being elevated to senior vice president of NBC News Editorial Operations; Strickland did the D.C. thing for a dozen years.
Arensberg’s promotion makes NBC the only major television news operation in Washington, D.C. to have a woman bureau chief. Arensberg is no newbie to covering the federal government — she oversaw both federal indictments of President Trump for NBC News as well as the U.S. government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Strickland has been with NBC News for 30 years, including time spent at Dateline.
Rebecca Blumenstein, the president of NBC News Editorial, sent the below note to her D.C. Bureau on Wednesday:
All,
I am pleased to announce expanded roles for two of our star leaders in Washington, Ken Strickland and Chloe Arensberg.
After 12 years of building the DC bureau into a powerhouse as Bureau Chief, Ken will take on a new vital role across the organization as SVP, NBC News Editorial Operations. Succeeding Ken, Chloe will become our new Chief, building on her impressive success at elevating our Washington coverage across broadcast, digital and streaming.
As SVP, Washington Bureau Chief, Chloe will lead our editorial direction and newsgathering efforts in Washington. During her last five years as Deputy Bureau Chief, Chloe has brought her sharp editorial expertise and field experience to deliver authoritative coverage, competitive scoops and breaking news. In her new role, Chloe will report to Catherine Kim and David Verdi, shaping and executing the bureau’s strategic vision for Washington reporting while helping to ensure the newsroom is connected to newsgathering, our bureaus and enterprise editorial.
In his new role, Ken will oversee and help to evolve news operations to better meet the needs of our bureaus and newsgathering. He will also assume direct leadership of our vital field production operations in Washington. This expanded role will have him spending more time in New York and across our bureaus, advising NBC News leadership, as well as Operations & Technology and Facilities. I’ve also asked Ken to spearhead operations for major news and company-wide events, as well as help support the SpinCo transition. He will report to me.
Chloe’s commitment to journalistic excellence, combined with the support and mentorship she provides to her team, makes her ideally suited to take on this role. Prior to joining NBC, Chloe spent 17 years at CBS in various positions, including as Asia Bureau Chief and Senior Producer.
Ken‘s steadfast leadership has guided the team through four presidential administrations, a global pandemic, and countless big breaking news events. He has been a vital connector between our platforms and shows. Throughout it all, he’s been an unwavering and reassuring advocate for our Washington journalists, and we are excited he will continue that role across the organization.
I would also like to take a moment to express how proud the NBC News leadership team is of all of you—the tireless effort, high-impact results, and professionalism you bring each day. Washington has been a model of the power we are unlocking by combining the best of television, digital and original journalism, and our team has never been positioned to meet the moment.
Please join me in congratulating Ken and Chloe on these well-deserved new roles.
With gratitude,
Rebecca
