Ronan Farrow Horizontal - H 2013
Nicholas Hunt/PatrickMcMullan.com/Sipa USAMSNBC is starting to make some of the changes that Phil Griffin promised at the end of 2014.
The Hollywood Reporter has learned that the cable news network is bulking up its news coverage in the daytime, and that means shows toplined by Joy-Ann Reid (The Reid Report) and Ronan Farrow (Ronan Farrow Daily) both are out.
Read More Ronan Farrow’s Ratings Bottom Out
From 1-3 p.m. ET, Thomas Roberts now will anchor a two-hour block of news programming every weekday. The new role, which starts March 2, will have Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski pinch-hitting at MSNBC’S Way Too Early until a permanent replacement is found. (Tamron Hall is staying on at 11 a.m., as is Andrea Mitchell at noon.)
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Farrow and Reid aren’t going anywhere just yet, instead transitioning to new roles. For Reid, that means the title of MSNBC national correspondent. She’ll produce original reporting for all platforms and make regular appearances on the primetime block. Farrow is getting a series of interview-driven primetime specials. Farrow also will continue his partnership with the NBC News Investigative Unit, and both he and Reid will work with the Bridge, the network’s editorial news hub directing coverage for digital and dayside.
Changes to the 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. hours were inevitable for MSNBC, as both time slots recently clocked all-time ratings lows. This also keeps in line with the network’s admitted need to cover more breaking news during the afternoon — something that’s still working for competitors Fox News Channel and CNN, even as many eyeballs turn away from cable news networks.
MSNBC is taking a lot of different steps in revamping this year, most recently naming Tom Colicchio as its first-ever food correspondent on Wednesday afternoon.
