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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, explain 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.”
According to a report from The Daily Beast, the executive producer of “Meet the Press” is being moved over to the streaming side as the Sunday cable show has plummeted in ratings.
NEW: NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ Shakeup Puts Chuck Todd in Jeopardy https://t.co/oaF38F3eiU
— Lachlan Cartwright (@LachCartwright) August 29, 2022
Other insiders reportedly told the Beast that Todd remains unpopular with viewers and that maybe he is the reason the show’s ratings have sunk.
“At what point does anyone have the balls to say ‘Maybe the problem is the face of it’?” one Meet the Press source said.
The writing has been on the wall for some time.
A report recently detailed how 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.”
“But when you are focusing on the Sunday show and it is in freefall, perhaps you have to consider whether it is you and not the show itself that is driving viewers away. NBC News Chairman Cesar Conde must really be concerned. This is like David Gregory all over again,” the insider said.
Cable news data analysis shows that the show’s viewership has plummeted over the years, particularly since 2019.
In April 2020, the show averaged around 1.9 million total viewers.
Viewership plummeted to 1 million in April 2021.
And in April of this year, “Meet The Press” averaged around 675,000 total viewers.