MSNBC has officially unveiled its lineup changes, highlighting significant shifts in both primetime and weekend programming. As part of a strategic overhaul, several prominent personalities will be transitioning into new evening slots, while the network is also revamping its daytime and weekend broadcasts.
The most significant adjustments were hinted at over the weekend. Rachel Maddow is set to return to a one-night-a-week format in April, with Jen Psaki stepping into the 9 p.m. timeslot from Tuesday to Friday. The hosts of “The Weekend”—Alicia Menendez, Michael Steele, and Symone Sanders-Townsend—will now take the helm at 7 p.m., and they’ll also be launching a two-hour show on Mondays from 7-9 p.m.
Joy Reid, currently hosting at 7 p.m., will depart from the network as these changes unfold, and rotating guest hosts will temporarily fill her slot until the new schedule is implemented. Alex Wagner, who has been hosting the 9 p.m. slot on weekdays, will remain at MSNBC as a senior political analyst after the schedule shifts take effect.
Rebecca Kutler, MSNBC’s president, communicated the changes in a memo to staff, expressing her desire to keep employees informed and acknowledging the frustration over the premature announcement of these updates.
On weekends, MSNBC will debut a new team of co-hosts for its morning program, with Jonathan Capehart and Ayman Mohyeldin among those selected, while the weekend show “Velshi” will expand its runtime to three hours.
As part of its transition from NBCUniversal, MSNBC will streamline its operations, consolidating production in New York and Washington, D.C., and establishing a new bureau in the nation’s capital. This restructuring means that shows produced in Miami, including “José Díaz-Balart Reports” and “The Katie Phang Show,” will come to an end. Díaz-Balart will continue to anchor “NBC Nightly News” on weekends, while Phang will stay on as a legal correspondent.
In terms of weekday programming adjustments, “Ana Cabrera Reports” will now air from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., “Chris Jansing Reports” will shift to 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., and “Katy Tur Reports” will expand from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The full list of changes will take effect in late April, with further announcements to follow regarding the expansion of the Washington bureau and recruitment of new journalists and correspondents. The staff is urged to engage with team leaders and HR for more details throughout the day.
In summary, these programming changes aim to enhance MSNBC’s presence and engagement across various platforms as the network adapts to the current media landscape.