MSNBC dropping the more radical left-wing personalities

Ratings and reality have apparently led the new leadership at MSNBC to move away – at least a bit – from its more strident left-wing programming.  Driven by extremely poor ratings, MSNBC has announced a series of significant lineup changes set to take effect between now and April.  The overhaul is spearheaded by Rebecca Kutler, the new president of MSNBC — following the exit of Rashida Jones.

If there is a common thread in the changes, it is clear that MSNBC is shedding it most extreme left-wing personalities.

In a cost saving move, MSNBC is shutting down its Miami operation.  That means the cancellation of “José Díaz-Balart Reports” and “The Katie Phang Show.”  Jonathan Capehart’s weekend show is also kaput.  Ayman Mohyeldin is cancelled.

The network’s daytime lineup will also see adjustments, with Ana Cabrera expanding her show to two hours, Chris Jansing shifting her show to a new time slot, and Katy Tur adding an hour to her program.

One of the major changes includes Jen Psaki, President Biden’s former press secretary.  She will be taking over the 9 p.m. hour from Tuesday to Friday. This slot is currently held by Rachel Maddow, who is scheduled to be on five evenings a week for the first 100 days of the Trump presidency.  She will then return to her from Monday only show.

That time slot had been held by left-wing ideologue Alex Wagner, who was expected to return after the 100-day deal with Maddow.  That will now not happen.  Wagner will be reassigned as a “political analyst” – essentially ending her career as a major news personality.   

The extremely acerbic Joy Reid has suffered a worse fate.  Her “The Reid Out” show will be canceled in favor of a reassigned Michael Steele, Simone Sanders and Alicia Menendez from their weekend morning show to the Reid time slot — and Reid will be terminated.

Reid closed off her final show with an emotional and bitter farewell as she urged viewers to “never stop resisting… even if it’s scary, or uncomfortable, or inconvenient. Just keep saying no and finding creative ways to say no, in small ways and large. You don’t always win every battle, but the whole thing is about resisting”.  She later had a meltdown on TikTok. 

Maddow closed off her own Monday evening show with a strong rebuke of the new MSNBC management.  In terms of the Reid cancellation, Maddow said “In all the jobs that I have had, in all of the years I have been alive, there is no colleague for whom I’ve had more affection and more respect than Joy Reid. I love everything about her. I’ve learned so much from her. I have so much more to learn from her. I do not want to lose her as a colleague here at MSNBC, and personally, I think it is a bad mistake to let her walk out the door.  It is not my call, and I understand that. But that’s what I think.”

As a true left-winger, Maddow flashed the race card, saying that “both of our non-white hosts in primetime are losing their shows, as is Katie Phang on the weekend. That feels indefensible, and I do not defend it.”   Really?  Reid is being replaced by two Blacks and a Hispanic. (Personally, I do not believe the Steele/Sanders/Menedez lineup will help MSNBC’s prime time ratings.  Too much like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.)

If MSNBC was serious about gaining credibility, there are a few more changes to consider.  First and foremost, I would cancel Al Sharpton’s “Politics Nation,” Nicole Wallace’s “Deadline: White House” and “The Lawrence O’Donnell Show”

“Morning Joe” is an odd duck.  MSNBC has put a lot of faith and money (estimated at more $40 million per year) in the husband and wife team of Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski.  They not only get four hours every weekday morning – including a repeated segment – but have clips from their weekday programs regurgitated on Saturday and Sunday mornings.   It is time to give Joe and Mika a reduction in airtime and pay.   I would replace MJ with a news-style format to compete more effectively with the FOX and CNN morning news shows.  “Morning Joe” is all about left-wing political proselytizing.

Although not widely reported, Maddow also complained about the planned terminations of a significant number of staffers.  Since they have an enormous impact on content, guests and spin, it will be interesting to see if there is a noticeable reduction in MSNBC’s historic extreme left-wing pitch – or the inclusion of panelists with more diverse perspectives.

The changes will not make MSNBC a paragon of journalism, but it is at least a move in the right direction — literally.  And methinks, we have not seen the last of the changes.

So, there ‘tis.