MSNBC Chief Plans Evening Shake-Up, Replacing Joy Reid, Alex Wagner

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The evening schedule on MSNBC could undergo significant changes, possibly surprising long-time fans who are accustomed to its current format.

Based on sources with knowledge of the situation, it appears that the cable network supported by NBCUniversal plans to shift the team consisting of Symone Sanders-Townsend, Alicia Menendez, and Michael Steele to their 7 p.m. timeslot from Tuesday through Friday. On Mondays, this group will be responsible for hosting the 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. slot. This change could potentially affect Joy Reid, who currently anchors at 7 p.m., as she is expected to host her final show on MSNBC this week.

Alex Wagner might stop hosting weeknights at 9 p.m., with Jen Psaki potentially taking over; MSNBC is considering bringing on Eugene Daniels from Politico and Melissa Murray, an expert on sex, marriage, caregiving, and reproductive rights, as new contributors.

MSNBC chose not to provide their executives for a response, as they had discussed some of these plans with Puck earlier.

Following the appointment of Rebecca Kutler, a seasoned executive at CNN with a knack for nurturing fresh talent and innovative ideas in programming, as MSNBC’s new president, she now assumes command of the network during a time of exceptional hurdles. These challenges include navigating relationships with the Trump Administration and transitioning to a new publicly-traded company, alongside other NBCU cable networks. On her first day in office, she addressed employees by acknowledging, “Our jobs are particularly demanding even on an ordinary day, but these are far from normal times.” This sentiment was shared by Mark Lazarus, the NBCU executive who will oversee the spin-off’s management.

As a devoted MSNBC viewer, I’ve noticed a shift in the audience dynamics lately. It seems more folks are tuning into other networks during primetime hours, which is causing a dip in viewership for us. According to projections from Kagan, a market research firm affiliated with S&P Global Intelligence, MSNBC could potentially lose around 10.5% of its subscribers between the end of 2023 and the end of 2025. This trend appears to be affecting our main competitors, Fox News Channel and CNN, as well. If these estimates hold true, MSNBC might only have an average of 61.3 million viewers by the end of 2025, down from 68.5 million in 2023, even though we’re in an election year, a period that usually boosts news viewership.

Kutler outlined plans for establishing an autonomous news-gathering system for MSNBC, severing ties with NBC News following the company’s reformation. Her vision includes setting up a standalone MSNBC bureau in Washington D.C., expanding the current roster of international and domestic reporters, and recruiting a new talent leader, a bureau chief for Washington, and a head of content strategy. However, she emphasized that despite these changes, the network will continue to maintain its progressive stance, rather than moving towards a centrist approach.

After the outcome of the 2024 presidential election, MSNBC has been striving to attract viewers back. Following Donald Trump’s re-entry into the White House, both MSNBC and CNN experienced a substantial decrease in viewership. In the last few weeks, both networks have made changes to their programming. At MSNBC, Rachel Maddow has resumed hosting the 9 p.m. hour every weekday, as opposed to her Monday-only schedule with occasional special appearances that she has had in recent years. Since the inauguration, MSNBC’s primetime and daytime viewership has increased significantly, though it still lags behind Fox News Channel.

Kutler played a part in developing “The Weekend,” a program hosted by Sanders-Townsend, Melendez, and Steele that airs early on Saturdays and Sundays. Since its debut, the show has experienced significant increases in viewership during its time slot, with improvements seen not only in total viewers but also among adults aged 25 to 54, a demographic highly valued by advertisers for news programs. Simultaneously, Psaki has gained favor with MSNBC executives since she joined their Sunday roster back in March of 2023.

Kutler could potentially have further adjustments in the pipeline, as he’s been examining the daytime and weekend lineup on MSNBC. The network hasn’t made an official announcement regarding Andrea Mitchell’s replacement yet, who was a long-standing anchor at NBC News for decades before her recent departure. There’s speculation among staff members about whether these daytime anchors, associated with NBC News, will remain with MSNBC in the long term.

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2025-02-23 13:16