Rachel Maddow Will Host Nightly Shows on MSNBC for Trump’s First 100 Days
by https://www.nytimes.com/by/michael-m-grynbaum · NY TimesRachel Maddow Will Return to Nightly Shows on MSNBC for Trump’s First 100 Days
The cable news network rejiggers its prime-time lineup ahead of Donald Trump’s second stint in the White House.
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Rachel Maddow pared back her on-air schedule during President Biden’s time in office, reducing her popular prime-time program on MSNBC to once a week.
With President-elect Donald J. Trump returning to power, she’s going back to full-time duty.
MSNBC said on Monday that Ms. Maddow would temporarily return to broadcasting her one-hour show every weeknight at 9 p.m. Eastern for the duration of Mr. Trump’s first 100 days in office.
Through April 30, Alex Wagner, the anchor who filled Ms. Maddow’s time slot from Tuesdays to Fridays, will instead file reports from around the country “on the impacts of Trump’s early policies and promises on the electorate,” the network said.
Ms. Maddow signed a lucrative contract in 2021 that significantly raised her compensation while lowering her on-air commitments. She has since pursued several podcasts and documentaries, although MSNBC viewers regularly saw her hosting coverage of major events like election nights and last summer’s political conventions.
After April 30, Ms. Maddow will return to hosting only on Mondays, with Ms. Wagner taking the time slot for the rest of the week.
MSNBC’s ratings plummeted in the wake of Mr. Trump’s re-election in November. Executives at the network are hopeful that audiences will return as Mr. Trump takes office and viewers seek to dissect his early policy moves. Among other changes is a new fact-checking segment to be hosted by Chris Hayes called, “Here Is What Is True.”
Fox News also announced a programming change on Monday. Will Cain, a conservative pundit who is a weekend host of “Fox & Friends,” will depart his morning role and take over the 4 p.m. weekday hour on the network. That time slot had previously been occupied by a straightforward newscast hosted by Neil Cavuto, a veteran business journalist who signed off from his show in December.
Inside the Media Industry
- The Washington Post: The company announced that it had started laying off roughly 4% of its work force, as the paper struggled to stem millions of dollars in annual losses. The cuts will not affect the newsroom.
- The Atlantic: As news organizations gear up to cover President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the magazine is recruiting from a crosstown rival, The Washington Post, to bolster its political staff.
- ABC News: The decision to pay $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by Trump against ABC News came after Disney decided that fighting the suit could hurt the company’s brand and press protections.
- Ozy Media: Carlos Watson, a co-founder of the now-defunct digital media company, was sentenced to almost 10 years in prison for trying to defraud investors and lenders.
- Voice of America: Trump’s choice of Kari Lake to serve as the director of the federally funded broadcaster sent a chill through the ranks of the organization.