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Chuck Todd’s Show ‘Meet The Press Daily’ Removed From MSNBC Lineup

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


MSNBC and NBC are continuing to make major changes to their cable news line-ups, which has resulted in several prominent hosts losing their shows at the left-leaning cable outlet.

“Some 75 employees in the news division out of roughly 3,500 staffers were let go by the Comcast-owned company in late January. MSNBC’s lineup changes include a notable shift for popular host Hallie Jackson, who will no longer anchor the 3 p.m. weekday slot. Katy Tur will replace Jackson effective Feb. 13,” the New York Post reported. “Jackson, the senior Washington correspondent, will focus on an expanded headline gig on the NBC News Now streaming service. Her show, ‘Hallie Jackson NOW,’ will run from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.”

In an even bigger move, the liberal network moved Chuck Todd’s “Meet the Press Daily” to a streaming-only option for viewers and changed the name to “Meet the Press Now.” The 1 PM hour on MSNBC will now be called “MSNBC Reports” with veteran anchor Chris Jansing.

The writing has been on the wall for some time for Todd.

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Todd’s “Meet The Press” has slumped to his worst rating period since he took over the Sunday morning program.

“In top-secret rating data that has caught the attention of network brass, RadarOnline.com learned Meet The Press — the longest-running show in television history — recorded its lowest-rated quarter over the April-May-June period. Todd peaked at more than 4 million viewers in the first quarter of 2017 (January-February-March) in the midst of Donald Trump’s presidency,” Radar Online reported.

“But in recent Nielsen Media Research ratings, the magic number faded to a paltry 2.4 million — shaving off a third of the notoriously goateed anchor’s audience. Making matters even worse for the Peacock network and its executive, Todd has also been in ratings free fall with viewers in the younger A25-54 demo,” the report continued.

“At his peak, the man who ex-prez Trump referred to as sleepy eyes had more than 1.2 million viewers in the first quarter of 2017, the same period when he enjoyed 4 million overall viewers. But over the past three months, the star NBC political analyst logged just 492,000 fans in the all-important younger demographic,” the report added.

“This does not augur well for Chuck,” an industry insider told Radar Online. “Chuck lost his gig at MSNBC and the guise that he’d rather leave MSNBC completely and focus on Meet the Press on Sunday.”

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In January, it was reported that NBC News president Noah Oppenheim is out as part of a major restructuring of leadership at the company.

NBCUniversal News Group Chairman Cesar Conde made the announcement, saying: “The appointments of Rebecca, Libby, and Janelle provide a powerful foundation for the News Group as it continues to grow its leadership position. NBC News, together with CNBC and MSNBC and through our many programs and platforms, reaches more Americans than any other news organization. The extraordinary accomplishments of Rebecca, Libby and Janelle and their visions will keep us on the path of continued success, delivering the highest quality journalism in the United States and around the world.”

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In a statement, Blumenstein said: “He news landscape is rapidly evolving, with mediums converging at a rate our industry has never seen. I look forward to building on the deep journalistic foundation at NBC news to help NBC News achieve its ambitions. I have loved every minute of working at The Times and learned so much working with many of the best journalists in the world.”

NBC issued a statement that said: “Ms. Blumenstein will join NBC News from The New York Times, where she has served as deputy managing editor since 2017. At The Times, Blumenstein led an expansion and elevation of business, technology, and economic news, as well as helped to drive the digital transformation of the organization. Prior to that, she held a variety of leadership positions at The Wall Street Journal over a 21-year tenure at the organization, including Deputy Editor-in-chief, Page One editor, International Editor, and editor of WSJ.com, steering coverage that won many of the profession’s top awards. In her new role, she will focus on driving journalism and original content across all of NBC News’s broadcast and digital platforms.”

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