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MSNBC and NBC are moving Chuck Todd’s “Meet the Press Daily” to a streaming-only option for viewers and changing the name to “Meet the Press Now.”
The 1 pm hour on MSNBC will now be called “MSNBC Reports” with veteran anchor Chris Jansing.
Todd closed out the final show by saying: “I want to take a moment to remind people of our mission here: to share with you what you need to know about what’s happening in Washington and in American politics, and most importantly, explaining why it happened, and why it matters to you. I’ve always been a big believer in finding new ways to reach new audiences. So we know where you are. And putting Meet the Press on NBC News NOW, five days a week, is at the forefront of where we want to be in streaming news. It was a no-brainer. We know you are here because you’re simply looking for smart, honest news and analysis. That’s all. Which has been, and always will be the driving force behind Meet the Press.”
NBC News president Noah Oppenheim said in a statement: “NBC News is the leader in streaming news. Since our launch, we’ve been committed to delivering the best of NBC News’ journalism, free, to streaming audiences everywhere.”
“Chuck was one of the first broadcast anchors to see the massive potential of streaming and bringing Meet the Press’s daily franchise to NBC News NOW reinforces the platform’s status as the destination for news on streaming,” Oppenheim added.
MSNBC is in shambles.
Rachel Maddow, the network’s top host, is only hosting her show once a week while she’s off working on “other projects.” Her ratings have dropped significantly in her absence, as well.
Nicolle Wallace, a supposed “Republican,” has seen her ratings crater. In the last year, her show is down 6 percent in total viewership. Over two years, her show is down 32 percent.
However, far-left host Joy Reid is facing rumors that she may be on her way out. Reid’s show has plummeted in recent months and, in particular, since it first launched almost two years ago.
“The Reid Out,” which airs at 7 PM ET, did not break 950,000 total viewers.
For comparison, “Jesse Watters Primetime” on Fox News hit almost 2.3 million total viewers in the same time slot. CNN’s Erin Burnett came in third place with roughly 583,000 total cable news viewers.
Reid’s show has been struggling for many months and executives are well aware.
“The premiere of The ReidOut on July 20, 2020, set a network record when 2.6 million viewers tuned in to watch the episode, becoming the most-watched show on its debut on MSNBC for the 7 p.m. ET time slot. That night, Joy Reid beat Martha MacCallum’s The Story on Fox News by a margin of 23% as well as Erin Burnett Outfront on CNN by 99%, effectively winning the slot on all of the cable news. Since then, the show has consistently ranked in the top 20 cable news programs, gaining much higher ratings than Hardball with Chris Matthews,” Cable News reported.
Since then, her ratings have cratered in total views as well as in the coveted 25-54 demo.
Below is a screenshot detailing her continual decline:
Back in April, Reid’s show posted its lowest-rated month ever, shedding 51% of its debut audience from 2020.
Her show finished April with its smallest monthly audience ever since the program began nearly two years ago.
Fox News reported:
“ReidOut” averaged 1.1 million viewers during the news-heavy month, a 31% decline from April of last year. She also shed 11% of viewers who tuned in last month and a staggering 51% compared to the show’s debut month of July 2020.
“ReidOut” has also lost 57% of her total audience among the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults age 25-54 since the program launched in July 2020, finishing April with a dismal demo average of only 124,000 viewers. “ReidOut” viewership during April was MSNBC’s least-watched month during the weeknight 7 p.m. hour among the critical demo since July 2015.
Desperate for clicks since your ratings are in the shltter https://t.co/grTiWqdOBC
— DRAMAGRL 🇺🇸 #LoveMyGov (@DRAMAGRRRL) August 6, 2022
All of this comes after media reporter Jon Nicosia reported that “there is serious talk all the way up the chain at Comcast about Joy Reid’s future at MSNBC.”
Reid has made a slew of outrageous comments, but one could argue she’s made a few defamatory comments about Kyle Rittenhouse.
Reid argued Rittenhouse’s acquittal has a historic precedent that goes back to the days of slavery.
“I think we have to keep in mind, when we’re watching the criminal justice system at work, that it was designed to do exactly what it did today,” Reid told her fill-in host Jason Johnson. “Gun laws helped to enhance the design to allow this verdict to happen today. This country was built on the idea that White men had a particular kind of freedom and a particular kind of citizenship that only they have that gives, you know, from the slave catchers on, the right to inflict violence In the name of protecting property. That’s like the foundational creation of the United States.”
Here’s what she said after Rittenhouse testified at his murder trial:
“You want to know why Critical Race Theory exists, the actual law school theory that emphasizes that supposedly colorblind laws in America often still have racially discriminatory outcomes?” she asks. “Then look no further than the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse.”
“Earlier today, the teenager accused of murdering two men and wounding a third in Kenosha, Wisconsin last year took to the stand in his own defense,” she said. “The circumstances are almost built for an actual CRT course. The white now 18-year-old faces an almost entirely white jury of his peers, with the exception of one black man, and then there’s Judge Bruce Schroeder, who has barred the prosecution from calling the people Rittenhouse killed victims.”
Media critic Joe Concha also suggested this week that Reid could be hit with a lawsuit from Rittenhouse.
“That was exhibit A, B, C, D, and E right there,” Concha said. “The next chapter in the Kyle Rittenhouse story are likely multiple defamation lawsuits against not only several media outlets but also MSNBC in particular and a host named Joy Reid, who we had the pleasure of hearing.”
“As for Mrs. Reid and multiple contributors calling Rittenhouse a racist, a white supremacist and, most importantly, guilty until proven innocent… I have got four words for you: ‘Covington Catholic Nicholas Sandmann’ – who sued CNN for what, $275 million, and forced them to settle,” he added.
