NBC names Blayne Alexander as ‘Dateline’ correspondent

NBC News correspondent Blayne Alexander returned from family leave with some more big news — she’s joining the team at “Dateline.”

Alexander, who had been working as an Atlanta-based correspondent for the network, was out for about four and half months after giving birth to a baby girl earlier in 2024.

She will join the show’s existing correspondent team of Keith Morrison, Andrea Canning, Josh Mankiewicz and Dennis Murphy to provide stories for the newsmagazine, which has focused almost exclusively on true crime for years. Lester Holt hosts the program.

“Blayne Alexander is an outstanding journalist who brings depth and perspective to every story she tells. Her ability to navigate complex topics has been evident throughout her career,” the show’s senior executive producer Liz Cole and executive producer Paul Ryan said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to officially welcome her to the ‘Dateline’ family.”

It was not immediately clear if Alexander would remain based in Atlanta and still contribute across other NBC News programs. 

Prior to becoming a correspondent for NBC News, she worked as a correspondent for NBC News Channel based in Washington, D.C., providing reports for NBC affiliates nationwide. She was previously an anchor and reporter at WXIA in Atlanta.

Educated at Duke University, Alexander also worked as a desk assistant at NBC News in Washington and had a stint reporting at WRDW in August, Georgia. 

Although “Dateline” doesn’t have a set number of correspondents, Alexander will bring the show’s count back up to five after the departure of former “Today” anchor Natalie Morales in 2021. Select episodes produced prior to her departure continued to air for a short period after she left to host “The Talk” on CBS. 

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Originally known as “Dateline NBC,” the show launched in 1992 with Stone Phillips and Jane Pauley as anchors. It covered a wide variety of topics determined by the news cycle as well as longform investigations and crime reporting.

It grew to eventually air five nights a week across the network and was also used as an extension of the overall NBC News brand, with the network sometimes using its slot to offer expanded coverage of big stories.

After its peak, the show was reduced in scale significantly and eventually shifted toward becoming focused almost exclusively on true crime. It typically airs two hours on Friday evenings.

In 2011, NBC tried launching another more general newsmagazine “Rock Center with Brian Williams,” but it sufferd from low ratings and only lasted two season.

Shortened, repackaged and updated versions of past “Dateline” reports air in syndication on both NBC stations and cable networks.