MS NOW is changing its weekend lineup, adding more audio video and recorded programming and closing deals for more outside partnerships (similar to Crooked Media). MS NOW President Rebecca Kotler explained the staffing changes on Friday, which will include a “small” number of layoffs.
The changes will see the end of the channel Weekend: peak timeWith its last episode airing on Saturday. Hosts Ayman Mohieldin, Catherine Rumble and Elise Jordan will remain with the channel.
Alex Witt, who presents weekend afternoon shows and has been with the channel for nearly 30 years, will leave later this year. Kotler noted in her memo that she “presented more hours on MS NOW than any other anchor in our network’s history,” and “guided our viewers through many of the most important stories that defined a generation.”
“We thank Alex for her endless contributions to the network, and we will have many more opportunities to celebrate her in the coming months,” she added.
Antonia Hilton will take over the 1-4pm time slot later this summer Weekend: peak time Executive producer Joey Faulin broadcasts the show.
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But perhaps the most notable change to MS NOW’s lineup is the shift toward recorded programming in the evenings, including MS NOW’s own podcasts Best people with nicole wallace and Why is this happening to Chris Hayes?along with content from other third-party partners, similar to the channel’s deal with Crooked Media. These partnerships are expected to be announced in the coming weeks and months. Kotler noted that the channel will expand its breaking news team to allow it to break into taped programming when news demands it.
MS NOW will continue to broadcast approximately 20 hours of live programming each weekend.
The changes will result in some job cuts, though Kotler noted that the channel has 40 positions open, with another dozen or so to be added in short order.
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You can read Kotler’s memo below.
a team,
As we prepare to invest significantly in our direct-to-consumer offerings and continue to develop new programming, content partnerships and live audience experiences, we are realigning our weekend resources to support this growth.
The recent launch of Crooked on MS NOW is an early example of this effort. Half of the program’s viewers were new to MS NOW on Saturday nights. This was our strongest launch for a recorded series among total viewers in three years and our strongest launch in the demo in more than four years. Throughout the summer, we will expand our registered strategy and announce new content partnerships. More on that soon.
First, after nearly three decades, Alex Witt She shared with us her plans to end her tenure with the company Later that year, after an extraordinary career. Alex has been a long-time and beloved member of the MS NOW family, and has been a consistent, reliable and consistent presence for our fans. We’ve covered several Presidential and mediation election cycles, countless historic international events, and major breaking news moments across the country. Having spent more hours on MS NOW than any other anchor in our network’s history, Alex has guided our viewers through many of the most important stories that defined a generation, including the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, reporting from Ground Zero immediately after the tragic September 11 terrorist attacks, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina, the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and more. We thank Alex for her endless contributions to the network and we will have many more opportunities to celebrate her in the coming months.
We’re excited to share that Antonia Hilton She will become a 1-4pm anchor on weekends at the end of summer. Antonia will bring her tremendous credibility, versatility and connection with audiences to this new role. Her work has been recognized with Peabody, Murrow, and Emmy Awards. Her recent Cities Under Siege series has been a testament to her outstanding reporting, and we are excited to see her continue to grow in this expanded role. I am also happy to announce this Joey Faulinexecutive producer of The Weekend: Primetime, will serve as executive producer of the new Antonia show. She has been a great leader in the newsroom and will be a strong partner to Antonia, and we look forward to seeing what they build together.
As we continue to develop our weekend programming strategy, we will pause Weekend:Prime Time. The final broadcast of the program will be broadcast tomorrow. I want to thank the entire Weekend: Primetime team for the strong journalism they produced and for their many contributions to MS NOW’s reporting, coverage and news-making interviews. We are grateful for that Ayman Mohieldin, Catherine Rumpel, and Elise Jordan She will remain with MS NOW and continue to contribute across our programs and platforms, bringing her respected reporting and distinguished analysis to our audiences.
As part of these changes, we are expanding Mike McLaughlin and Jeff Kipnis The team will continue to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year to provide coverage of breaking news events. Even with these changes, MS NOW will continue to broadcast 20 hours of live programming each weekend, to remain competitive with our peers.
As part of the changes announced today, a small number of roles across the organization will be affected. All affected employees have already been notified. As these changes occur, we continue to create new opportunities across our organization and currently have approximately 40 open positions. We also expect more than a dozen roles to be published soon.
As I said before, we must continue to show up for our fans while building the future of MS NOW. The work you do every day makes this possible.
Rebecca
