Beyond Joy Reid: MSNBC makes major schedule changes as it prepares for NBC News split

Big changes are afoot astatine MSNBC.

The progressive quality web canceled respective shows and volition grow anchor shifts arsenic it prepares for beingness aft its upcoming divided from NBC News.

The Comcast Corp.-owned transmission connected Monday confirmed the departure of host Joy Reid, who volition beryllium replaced by the trio of Michael Steele, Simone Sanders-Townsend and Alicia Menendez, and announced a caller programme lineup that volition springiness erstwhile Biden White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki a regular prime-time slot.

The changes are acceptable to hap successful precocious April. They get up of the program to rotation MSNBC disconnected into a caller institution with different Comcast cablegram networks, including CNBC, Golf Channel and USA Network.

The determination is meant to region the slow-growth units from Comcast arsenic the larger institution focuses much connected its streaming business. The caller institution volition beryllium looking for acquisitions.

The program means MSNBC and NBC News — which person been intertwined since the cablegram web was founded successful 1996 — volition run separately.

Among the announcements made by MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler is that the transmission volition person its ain Washington quality bureau. MSNBC besides volition person its ain studios successful New York extracurricular of NBC office successful Rockefeller Center.

NBC News is undergoing changes arsenic well, with anchor Lester Holt announcing Monday he volition permission “NBC Nightly News” this summer. Holt volition stay with NBC News arsenic anchor of “Dateline.” No successor for “NBC Nightly News” has been named but NBC News Now anchor Tom Llamas is considered the starring candidate.

Psaki volition anchor the 9 p.m. Eastern hr Tuesday done Friday starting successful precocious April. “The Rachel Maddow Show,” which is airing nightly for the archetypal 100 days of the Trump presidency, volition spell backmost to the play frequence that started successful 2022.

Psaki, who presently has programs connected Sunday and Monday, replaces Alex Wagner, who volition stay with the web arsenic a elder governmental analyst.

Reid’s 7 p.m. Eastern slot volition beryllium filled by Steele, Sanders-Townsend and Menendez, presently the co-hosts of MSNBC’s “The Weekend.” MSNBC has yet to uncover the caller sanction for the program.

Steele is simply a erstwhile president of the Republican National Committee and an MSNBC regular for much than a decade. Sanders-Townsend was a strategist for erstwhile President Biden during his clip arsenic vice president. Menendez is simply a governmental commentator and girl of Robert Menendez, the erstwhile U.S. legislator from New Jersey who was precocious convicted successful a corruption trial.

“The Weekend” volition person a caller acceptable of hosts and look successful greeting and evening editions. Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart volition anchor successful the morning, portion Ayman Mohyeldin volition helm the evening program.

The play shows presently hosted by Capehart and Mohyeldin volition end. Ali Velshi’s play amusement volition beryllium expanded from 2 to 3 hours.

The Saturday programme hosted by ineligible expert Katie Phang besides is ending. Phang volition stay with MSNBC arsenic a ineligible analyst.

Jose Diaz-Balart, who is employed by NBC News and Telemundo, volition extremity his daytime quality program. Ana Cabrera will grow her displacement to 10 a.m. to noon Eastern, followed by Chris Jansing from noon to 2 p.m. and Katy Tur from 2 to 4 p.m.

Diaz-Balart volition proceed arsenic Saturday anchor of “NBC Nightly News.”

Reid, who has been with MSNBC since 2014, volition permission the web contempt having precocious signed a caller contract. MSNBC offered nary mentation for her departure, though it was wide known that Comcast executives were uncomfortable with immoderate of her harsh commentary astir the Trump medication and its supporters.

Mark Lazarus, who presided implicit NBC Sports and NBCUniversal’s networks concern for astir a decade, is starring the caller spinoff institution arsenic main executive.

While Reid was considered the astir politically left-leaning of MSNBC’s personalities, her departure is not seen arsenic a alteration of absorption for the network, which volition proceed to cater to progressive viewers, according to 1 enforcement acquainted with its aboriginal plans who was not authorized to remark publicly.

Reid was successful tears successful a video posted Monday connected X, successful which she thanked viewers. “My amusement had value,” she said.

She besides defended her disapproval of Israel’s actions successful the warfare against Hamas. “We arsenic an American radical person a close to entity to small babies being bombed,” she said. “Where I travel down connected that is — I americium not sorry.”