The NBCUniversal-backed cable network is expected to move the trio of Symone Sanders-Townsend, Alicia Melendez and Michael Steele to its 7 p.m. weekday slot Tuesday through Friday, according to two people familiar with the matter, and the group on Mondays will lead two hours, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The move will have direct implications for Joy Reid, the anchor who currently fills 7 p.m. She is expected to host her last show on MSNBC this week.
Alex Wagner, who has hosted weeknights at 9 p.m. save for a Monday night led by Rachel Maddow, is expected to be named a contributor, according to three people with knowledge of current talks.
Wagner, who has been working as a correspondent across the U.S. during the first 100 days of the new Trump presidency while Rachel Maddow anchors each day at 9, is unlikely to return to her weeknight slot, these people indicated. Jen Psaki is expected to take over at least one of the hours, according to one of these people.
MSNBC is also in talks with Eugene Daniels of Politico and Melissa Murray, a law professor at New York University who specializes in the regulation of sex, marriage, caregiving and reproductive rights that would have them join the network in unspecified capacities, according to one of these people.
“Our jobs are hard on a normal day, and these are not normal times,” she told employees on the day that her new role was announced by Mark Lazarus, the NBCU executive who will lead the new spin-off.
The moves come quickly after Rebecca Kutler, a former senior executive at CNN who is known for her facility in developing new talent and programming concepts, was named MSNBC’s new president.
She takes the helm of the network as it faces unique challenges, including the pressures of working with the Trump White House and being spun off along with other NBCU cable networks into a new publicly-traded company.
MSNBC declined to make executives available for comment. Puck previously on some of the aforementioned plans.
