"I think ESPN rightly wanted to own and operate and produce RedZone outright because of the galactic popularity of the show. But the NFL, for their reasons, wanted to retain control of the production of RedZone."
In a meeting with staffers on Tuesday morning, NBC News Executive Vice President of Editorial Catherine Kim said that it would "be a difficult day for a lot of us" as the cuts were enacted.
Often, the instinct is to overcorrect when a legacy figure departs. Networks get anxious. They look to inject youth, style, or some form of disruptive energy into their programming, fearing that continuity equals stagnation. NBC News didn’t go down that road.
"I think ESPN rightly wanted to own and operate and produce RedZone outright because of the galactic popularity of the show. But the NFL, for their reasons, wanted to retain control of the production of RedZone."