NBC Universal reached into its past to chart a new path forward on Friday, hiring Andrew Lack to lead its news division after a series of missteps that culminated with the suspension of Brian Williams last month.  The arrival of Mr. Lack, who was president of NBC News from 1993 until 2001, represents the largest step in a broad restructuring of the news operation. Mr. Lack, 67, will oversee NBC News and MSNBC but not CNBC, Steve Burke, chief executive of NBCUniversal, said in a memo to employees. He starts in April.  Pat Fili-Krushel, the chairwoman of NBCUniversal News Group, will move into a yet-to-be-determined corporate role on Mr. Burke’s executive team.  Mr. Lack faces a daunting to-do list at a news division buffeted by turmoil. At the very top is helping Mr. Burke determine the fate of Mr. Williams, who was suspended for six months without pay after his admission that he had embellished an account of his role in a helicopter episode in Iraq in 2003. An internal review of Mr. Williams and his reporting is still in progress. Investigators told executives earlier this week that they needed a few more weeks to look into the matter, according to a person with knowledge of the inquiry.  Other challenges facing Mr. Lack include reversing the big ratings declines at MSNBC, figuring out a solution for “Meet the Press” and pushing the “Today” show back to the top of the ratings charts among the early-morning shows.  Mark Feldstein, a journalism professor at the University of Maryland, said that the management changes at NBC followed the typical playbook for media organizations engulfed in scandals.  “You bring in a seasoned veteran to stabilize the ship, and that is what Andy Lack is,” Mr. Feldstein said. “They realize that the problem was deeper than just one anchor monster.”  “I wouldn’t expect revolutionary change from Lack,” Mr. Feldstein added. Noting that Mr. Lack was 67, he said “this is probably a short-term fix.”  NBC did not make Mr. Lack available for an interview. In his memo, Mr. Burke said “Andy’s experience and familiarity with our company and specifically the news division will be critical to our growth and future success.”  A former news producer for CBS, Mr. Lack was recruited to lead NBC in 1993. He later held top positions at Sony Music Entertainment and the Bloomberg Media Group.  Since January, Mr. Lack had worked as chief executive of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the agency that oversees government-supported international news media including Voice of America and Radio Free Europe. His abrupt departure after only six weeks on the job is the latest in a series of problems for the agency.  At NBC, Mr. Lack not only will need to restore a sense of calm and stability across the news division but also figure out the role for traditional television news during a much different period, with real-time digital competition from the likes of Snapchat, Twitter, Vice and Buzzfeed.  It is not certain how Mr. Lack’s arrival will affect other management positions. Though several current executives will now report to him, people who have worked with Mr. Lack said that he was likely to establish his own team.  Deborah Turness, who arrived as president of NBC News in 2013 but suffered a string of setbacks, will remain in her position and report to Mr. Lack, as will Phil Griffin, president of MSNBC. Mr. Lack and Ms. Turness are friendly. They live in the same neighborhood in Bronxville, N.Y., and Mr. Williams set up a dinner with their spouses to introduce them, according to people who knew about the dinner.  Mark Hoffman, the president of CNBC, will report to Mr. Burke. Other NBC employees who previously reported to Ms. Fili-Krushel will now report to Mr. Lack.  Some TV executives said the arrival of Mr. Lack could enhance Mr. Williams’s chances of regaining his position. Mr. Lack is known to be close to NBC’s on-air performers, and played a big role in Mr. Williams’s rise to the anchor chair.  Mr. Burke talked with Mr. Lack when NBC executives were assessing their options on how to discipline Mr. Williams, according to people with knowledge of the discussions.  But others cautioned that the jury was still out and that NBC executives would be guided by the facts of the investigation and questions about whether audiences and other journalists will accept him back in the role. Mr. Burke will make the ultimate decision about Mr. Williams, executives said.
Mr. Lack led the division from 1993 to 2001 but is returning to a unit engulfed in turmoil since the crisis involving its news anchor, Brian Williams.