RYAN OSBORN NAMED NBC NEWS, DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL MEDIA

In a newly created role, NBC News Ryan Osborn has been promoted to Director of Social Media for NBC News. Osborn will oversee and execute all social media initiatives for the news division. He will manage NBC News’ usage of social media to increase awareness of show programming, interactivity with viewers, and outreach to target audience groups.

This new position within the news division will streamline its existing social media activities and initiatives, and will build upon its already strong foundation in the new media landscape.

Osborn has worked at NBC News since 2002, when he joined as part of the Page Program. He joined the Today show staff that year and worked his way up from the front desk to Producer in 5 years. While producing for Today, Osborn has been responsible for the post-production of interviews with President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Former Governor Sarah Palin. He has also contributed in the field on several breaking news events for Today, including Hurricane Katrina and the death of Michael Jackson.

In recent years, Osborn has worked closely with online editors for TODAYshow.com to launch key cross media initiatives such as “Today in 2 Minutes,” and has been an integral part of the team that created a unique partnership with Foursquare to promote the “Toyota Concert Series on Today.”

Osborn is a proven innovator in the social space and has used these emerging platforms as newsgathering tools. During the miracle on the Hudson, he used @todayshow on Twitter to find the initial image of survivors and MSNBC was the first network to use the TwitPic on the air.