In his office, Cesar Conde sits across from a wall of TV screens. They feature a wide array of programming from NBCUniversal News Group, which Mr. Conde has run as chairman since mid-2020.
He oversees mainstay NBC programs like “Meet the Press,” “Nightly News” and the “Today” show, a group of local broadcast stations in some of the biggest U.S. markets and the Spanish-language channel Telemundo.
The division is the nation’s largest news media organization. Each month, 136 million people consume the group’s content across multiple platforms. And it used to be even bigger: Early this year, a long-in-the-works spinoff of cable networks, including MSNBC and CNBC, became official.
During Mr. Conde’s tenure, as political polarization around the world has intensified, he has faced internal strife over programming decisions. NBC and other networks have also confronted relentless attacks by the Trump administration, including threats to revoke broadcasters’ licenses.
And like all media organizations, Mr. Conde, 52, has tried to expand NBC’s digital presence as audiences for traditional broadcast decline.
Mr. Conde, who was credited with turning around the fortunes of Telemundo before ascending to his current role, also sits on the boards of Walmart, PepsiCo and Ralph Lauren. Those brands are also trying to find an audience in a fractured, noisy market.
In an interview in his office, down the hall from the “Nightly News” studio, Mr. Conde said that while traditional media faced competition from all sides, people would eventually be overwhelmed by so much information. “When that pendulum swings, they are going to be looking for those trusted brands and trusted individuals,” he said.
Telemundo is betting big on the World Cup, which began on Thursday, with Spanish-language coverage of every game also carried by the NBC-owned streaming service Peacock. (Fox has the English-language broadcast rights.) Mr. Conde, who once had dreams of being a professional soccer player, sees the tournament as a rare world event with the ingredients to bring people together — at least for a few weeks.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Recent polls show that Americans’ trust in mass media has fallen to record lows. How do you get people to trust a news organization like NBC?
If audiences are not seeing the issues represented that impact them, they’re going to have a disconnect.
Premium video and local journalism through our local stations is alive and is fundamental to the strength of our democracy. That’s why we invest so heavily in it, and we believe it’s one of the things that will hold up versus generative A.I.
We launched an initiative called Common Ground. We started segments on “Meet the Press” that brought together elected officials from different parties to discuss solutions on issues that they agreed on. You see the minute-by-minute ratings — they spike with the Common Ground segment. We’re onto something.
It’s not just about politics. We brought together sports figures to talk about sports and others to discuss issues that unite Americans. Do you know what was one of the biggest events with the biggest ratings this year?
You tell me.
It was the coverage of Artemis. Americans love space. It brings people together.
We’re always going to hold our leaders accountable and cover what differentiates folks. But it’s equally important to show where we have common ground. We think that builds trust.
Surveys suggest that people want straight information and nonpartisan news, but is that viable given how successful opinion shows and talking-head coverage has been?
The answer is yes. We take a very direct approach of providing fact-based, opinion-free journalism to serve our community on the issues that matter most to them.
We’re playing the long game. We want to make sure that when audiences become too overwhelmed by the ecosystem of endless content, they know that there is a place where they can come that has the most trusted brands, that has the more trusted journalism, that will help them clearly understand what’s at stake.
You mentioned generative A.I., which is drawing eyeballs away from reported news. How do you respond to all the A.I. slop out there?
We will continue to see, at least in the short term, more and more content that’s coming from A.I. However, eventually, we believe that there will be a shift where audiences are going to come back and they are going to be hungry for news and information that is fact based.
What gives you that hope?
People, at their core, still want quality, accurate information.
There has been a lot of pressure from the Trump administration on the media, via lawsuits, restrictions on access and other actions. How concerned are you about press freedoms?
We are fundamental believers in the First Amendment. We believe a strong, free and independent press is fundamental to the health and the strength of our democracy. And we are big believers that providing more access to our audiences and our viewers is better than less. So we’re going to continue to ensure that we provide as much access for audiences day in and day out.
Does it feel harder to do that now?
In the journalism profession, we have always had a number of pressures. But our mission at NBC News has always been that we are going to hold our leaders accountable.
Let’s talk about the turmoil at CBS, one of your main competitors. Both you and Bari Weiss, who was recently appointed editor of CBS News, came with somewhat unconventional backgrounds. You were from the business side, and she hadn’t worked in broadcast. What have you learned over the years that you think she could apply?
My approach has always been one of servant leadership. My role is to bring together teams who are smarter than me in different capacities and ensure that I support them. It’s a very methodical approach to ensure that we have the very best and let them shine.
How do you win over a newsroom?
I have always been cognizant that the most important thing is investing in original journalism. So, it’s about ensuring that our journalists know that A, we have their back, and B, we will always invest in premium, original journalism that serves our communities. The rest is just about attracting and retaining the best journalists.
I want to ask about Telemundo, since you used to run it directly. One of the most important demographic shifts in the United States is the growing Latino population. What does that mean for the network?
We think Telemundo is one of the biggest strategic growth opportunities for NBCUniversal.
The Hispanic community is large. It is not monolithic. It exists in every corner of the United States. I was born here, and I grew up speaking two languages. One of the most interesting and fastest-growing parts of the Hispanic community is what we’ve dubbed the 200 percenters — people who are 100 percent American and 100 percent Latino. There are topics that they find on Telemundo that they may not find anywhere else.
Like what?
The local news of Telemundo in Los Angeles will have anchors that represent that local community, in theory primarily Mexican American. We will cover issues that are unique to that community.
The coverage of Miami in the local Telemundo station has anchors who are representative of that community — Cubans or Venezuelans and the like — and the coverage of things happening in Cuba and Venezuela are more predominant than they would be on a local station in, say, Dallas or Chicago or L.A.
The World Cup will be a big moment for your Spanish-language programming.
Our Telemundo team has this great philosophy that some things are better in Spanish, and soccer is just one of them.
For us, to have one of the biggest global sporting events in a world that’s so fragmented is fundamental. It’s very different than it was 30 years ago when the United States last hosted the World Cup. Soccer today has gone from niche to mainstream.
It’s also watched by a younger demographic that’s very appealing for companies. We have an audience that we’ve dubbed the 3Ms: millennial, multicultural and mobile. It’s in the bull’s-eye of the type of audience that we want to continue to attract, and an audience that Fortune 500 companies want as well.
Tell me about your upbringing. You were born and raised in Miami?
Like millions before them, my parents were immigrants to the U.S. My mom from Cuba, my dad from Peru. My two younger brothers and I were born and raised in Miami with very traditional immigrant values and work ethic: Dream big, work hard and stay humble.
Did you always want to work in media?
Like every immigrant child, you were supposed to be a doctor or lawyer. I grew up playing soccer and later tennis. Like every child, you think you’re going to be a professional athlete.
It took me a little while in life to figure out my path. I worked on Wall Street in investment banking, at a start-up venture and in public service, in the White House Fellows Program under Colin Powell when he was Secretary of State.
We became good friends. He’s the one who advised me to take my interest in working in the immigrant or Hispanic community and merging it with the media industry.
You have been a big proponent of diversity initiatives. Last year, the Federal Communications Commission opened an investigation into NBCUniversal’s parent company, Comcast, around its diversity practices. Has that changed how you approach these programs?
Our values have always been the same, and they will continue to be the same. We will hire the very best because it’s the right thing for business. But to be the very best — in the context of serving every corner of every community of the United States — we have to select from every corner in every community in the United States.
It’s time for the lightning round. What’s the first app you open in the morning?
The NBC News app.
Good answer. What would you say is the most-used app on your phone?
Probably Uber Eats.
What fuels you through the day? Coffee, tea, adrenaline?
Having grown up in Miami, it’s strong coffee.
What’s your favorite TV show?
Aside from news shows, I’m old school. I’m a big “Seinfeld” fan.
What is a show that you love that people would be surprised that you watch? “La Casa de los Famosos,” which is Telemundo’s unscripted reality show.
What is the last question you asked A.I.?
What is the best result Team USA has in the World Cup?
Do you think about business in English or Spanish?
I do some things in English and some things in Spanish — business strategies are primarily in English.
What about when you dream? English or Spanish?
Both.
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