MSNBC announced a big set of changes to its dayside programming. It cancelled Ronan Farrow and Joy Reid’s shows, repositioning both hosts in new roles. Thomas Roberts will move off Way Too Early back to Dayside where he will anchor a two hour block. An MSNBC spokesperson described the changes:
Today, as part of our larger strategy to grow our news-gathering and content center, MSNBC is announcing new programming changes and investments in its dayside news coverage, that help us become a more nimble and integrated news operation, and better position us to cover big stories and do more in-depth original reporting and interviews.
First, as part of our focus on moving to more news-focused dayside coverage, we are announcing that Thomas Roberts will anchor a new daily two-hour block of news programming from 1-3 pm.
With this move, MSNBC dayside programming will now feature news-focused coverage beginning at 9 am with The Daily Rundown and continuing through 3 pm, which includes news-focused coverage provided by Tamron Hall at 11 am and Andrea Mitchell at 12:00 pm. Roberts, who also anchors a show on Shift, has years of experience anchoring dayside coverage for MSNBC during breaking news coverage. He has also hosted Miss Universe and been a co-host of The View. His new role will begin on March 2nd and Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski will fill in anchoring MSNBC’S Way Too Early until a permanent replacement is named.
Joy Ann Reid will become MSNBC’s national correspondent, and will produce original reporting for all platforms. She will return to her roots, as a multi-platform journalist with a respected and distributed take on the news, and will serve as a regular contributor for MSNBC’s primetime shows, and will become the first dedicated reporter for NowThisNews, which has been partnering with MSNBC to significantly expand production and distribution of video content to reach younger audiences who live and consumer media predominantly on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine, Snapchat, Tumblr and other social platforms.
Ronan Farrow will launch a new series of primetime specials, featuring in-depth interviews with newsmakers, business leaders, artists, athletes, filmmakers, advocates, and elected officials. He will also continue to be a special correspondent featured across MSNBC’s programming. This is a role Ronan has been laying the groundwork for throughout the past year, building on his new-making interviews with Former President Jimmy Carter, Angelina Jolie, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Miley Cyrus, former presidential contender Mitt Romney, Gwen Stefani, and the first television interview with Malala Yousafzai after she won the Nobel Peace Prize. Ronan’s series will also focus on his in-depth reporting from the field, building on his coverage in Kenya examining problems in foreign aid; in Dallas covering the Ebola crisis; in the Midwest looking at terrorist recruitment within the U.S.; and on the US-Mexico border embedding with border patrol agents. He most recently traveled to Paris in January in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo attacks, and secured the first interview with Jeannette Bougrab, the partner of slain Hebdo editor Stephane Charbonnier. In addition to his focus on interviews, in his new role, Ronan will continue his partnership with the NBC News Investigative Unit.
Both Joy and Ronan will work closely with The Bridge, MSNBC’s editorial news hub directing coverage for digital and dayside.
Today’s news builds on an announcement MSNBC made yesterday that Tom Colicchio, the award-winning chef, restaurant owner, founder of Crafted Hospitality and TV personality, is joining the network as its first-ever food correspondent for all platforms. Stay tuned for additional updates on how MSNBC’s new strategy is unfolding.
Filed under: MSNBC
