David Rhodes is an American media executive who has built a career on both sides of the Atlantic, moving from newsroom roles at Fox News and Bloomberg to become president of CBS News and, later, Executive Chairman of Sky News Group. He joined Sky in 2021 and was appointed to his current role in 2023, with responsibility for Sky’s news services across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Although his name is associated closely with Sky News, Rhodes is not Sky News UK’s main editorial executive or a regular presenter. That distinction matters: Jonathan Levy is Managing Director and Executive Editor of Sky News UK, while Rhodes leads the wider Sky News Group and its strategic direction.
Quick Answer
David Rhodes is an American media executive and the Executive Chairman of Sky News Group. He joined Sky in 2021 and became Executive Chairman in 2023, overseeing the wider Sky News Group across EMEA. Before joining Sky, Rhodes was President of CBS News from 2011 to 2019 and previously held senior roles at Bloomberg Television and Fox News. He is particularly known for his leadership in television news and his work helping broadcasters adapt to digital and streaming news.
Quick Bio
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | David Rhodes |
| Profession | Media executive |
| Current role | Executive Chairman, Sky News Group |
| Employer | Sky |
| Joined Sky | 2021 |
| Appointed Executive Chairman | 2023 |
| Previous major role | President, CBS News |
| Earlier employers | Bloomberg Television, Fox News |
| Education | Rice University |
| Born | December 1973, New York City |
Who Is David Rhodes?
David Rhodes is best known for running major television news organisations rather than working principally as an on-screen journalist. At Sky, his remit covers the broader Sky News Group, which includes Sky News in the UK, Sky TG24 in Italy, digital services, partnerships and joint ventures. Sky says the group has more than 800 editorial staff worldwide.
His career is notable because it combines traditional broadcast journalism with the strategic and commercial challenges facing modern news organisations. Long before taking a senior leadership role in the UK, Rhodes spent more than two decades working in American television news.
From Fox News to Bloomberg
Rhodes began his career at Fox News in 1996, shortly before the channel went on air. He joined as a production assistant and gradually moved through newsroom roles, eventually becoming vice-president of news. Rice University records that his work included major breaking-news and political coverage, giving him early experience of the demands of a fast-moving television newsroom.
In 2008, he moved to Bloomberg Television as its Head of US Television. The position broadened his experience beyond day-to-day news production, encompassing programming, development, editorial operations, newsgathering and production.
That combination of newsroom and management experience would later become central to his career. Rhodes was not simply moving between broadcasters; he was increasingly working at the point where editorial decisions, television strategy and changing audience habits meet.
His Years at CBS News
In February 2011, Rhodes was named president of CBS News. He was 37 at the time, and Rice University described the appointment as a major step for its alumnus, who had moved from Bloomberg into one of American television’s most senior news jobs.
During his time at CBS, Rhodes oversaw a broad portfolio that included programmes such as CBS This Morning, Face the Nation, CBS Sunday Morning, 48 Hours and 60 Minutes, alongside CBS’s digital news operations. Rice later highlighted his role in the creation and development of CBS This Morning and the expansion of Face the Nation.
Another important part of his CBS tenure was the move into streaming news. In 2014, CBS launched CBSN, a digital streaming service that combined live news with on-demand video. The launch reflected a wider shift in television news: audiences were increasingly able to watch news outside a conventional television schedule.
Rhodes remained president until 2019. CBS announced in January that year that Susan Zirinsky would replace him, marking the end of an eight-year period at the network.
A Move to the UK
After CBS, Rhodes continued to work in media strategy and development before joining News UK. He was involved in the company’s plans for television and digital video projects, and his work there placed him back in the UK media market after years in American broadcasting. The Guardian reported in 2020 that he was overseeing News UK’s television ambitions at the time.
He subsequently joined Sky in 2021 as Group Director of International Business Development. Sky later described this as the starting point for his current chapter at the company.
What Does David Rhodes Do at Sky News?
Sky appointed Rhodes Executive Chairman of Sky News Group in 2023. The role is deliberately broader than the day-to-day editorial management of Sky News UK.
Sky’s leadership announcement said Rhodes would have overall responsibility for the group’s news services across EMEA and focus on a long-term commercial strategy spanning Sky News UK and Sky TG24 in Italy. At the same time, Jonathan Levy was appointed Managing Director and Executive Editor of Sky News UK, with primary responsibility for its journalism across television, digital and audio platforms.
That division of responsibilities helps explain why Rhodes appears in Sky News’s management listings while viewers may be more familiar with journalists and presenters such as its anchors and correspondents. Sky currently lists Rhodes as Executive Chairman of Sky News Group and Levy as Executive Editor and Managing Director of Sky News UK.
David Rhodes and the Future of Sky News
One of the most interesting parts of Rhodes’s current work is Sky News’s longer-term digital strategy.
Sky’s Sky News 2030 project is intended to evolve the organisation into a more premium, video-first newsroom designed for digital platforms as well as traditional broadcasting. The strategy includes new forms of distribution, partnerships and revenue beyond a conventional advertising-funded television model. Sky has described the project as a major transformation of how its journalism reaches audiences.
Reporting in 2026 has also linked Rhodes with plans for paid digital products, including premium podcasts and a subscription-based defence service. The emphasis reflects the wider challenge facing broadcasters: maintaining the value of original journalism while audiences increasingly consume news through phones, social platforms, streaming services and podcasts.
His comments and public work also show a strong interest in the changing relationship between journalism and technology. In 2026, Rhodes joined senior leaders from the BBC, Financial Times, Guardian and Telegraph in launching the SPUR coalition, which focuses on publisher rights and standards around the use of journalism in an age of generative AI.
Education and Professional Recognition
Rhodes graduated from Rice University in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science. He has maintained a connection with the university and has served on its Board of Trustees.
His professional standing has also extended beyond his executive roles. The World Economic Forum lists him as a Young Global Leader for 2013–2018 and notes his work on a number of academic and professional advisory boards.
David Rhodes’ Family and Personal Life
Publicly available professional information about Rhodes’s private life is relatively limited. The World Economic Forum states that he lives in London with his wife, Emma Kahn, who has also worked in news media, and that they have two sons.
Rhodes is also the brother of Ben Rhodes, who served as a senior foreign-policy adviser and speechwriter in the Obama administration. The family connection has been documented by Rice University and CBS-related coverage.
Beyond those details, there is little reason to speculate about aspects of his private life that he has not publicly discussed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is David Rhodes?
David Rhodes is an American media executive and the Executive Chairman of Sky News Group. He previously served as president of CBS News from 2011 to 2019.
Is David Rhodes a Sky News presenter?
No. He is a senior executive rather than a regular Sky News presenter. His current role is Executive Chairman of Sky News Group, while Jonathan Levy oversees the journalism of Sky News UK.
When did David Rhodes join Sky?
Rhodes joined Sky in 2021 as Group Director of International Business Development. He became Executive Chairman of Sky News Group in 2023.
What did David Rhodes do at CBS News?
He was President of CBS News from 2011 until 2019, overseeing the network’s news operation and playing an important role in projects including CBS This Morning and CBSN.
Where did David Rhodes study?
He studied at Rice University, graduating in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science.
Who is David Rhodes’ wife?
The World Economic Forum identifies his wife as Emma and says she has a background in news media. The same profile says the couple have two sons.
Final Thoughts
David Rhodes’s career is unusual in that it spans the newsroom, television management and the increasingly digital business of news. From starting at Fox News to leading CBS News and now overseeing Sky News Group, his work has followed the changing shape of broadcasting itself. His current focus at Sky is less about appearing on screen and more about deciding how a major news organisation can remain relevant, distinctive and sustainable in a rapidly changing media landscape. For readers following the people shaping British broadcasting, that makes Rhodes an important figure at Sky and a useful one to watch as Sky News 2030 develops.
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