MSNBC‘s new chief isn’t wasting any time in figuring out where she wants to take the progressive-leaning network as it prepares to be spun off from NBCUniversal and its corporate parent, Comcast.
Rebecca Kutler, who was named president of MSNBC earlier in February, is considering expanding the on-screen presence of Jen Psaki, who currently anchors hours on Sunday afternoons and Monday evenings, as well as the trio of personalities who lead “The Weekend,” the roundtable show that airs Saturday and Sunday mornings and is led by Symone Sanders-Townsend, Alicia Menendez and Michael Steele, according to two people familiar with the discussions.
MSNBC declined to make Kutler available for comment. Puck previously reported discussions around the aforementioned personnel moves.
The changes, none of which have not been formally announced, show Kutler moving quickly to steer MSNBC in a tricky moment. With Comcast splitting off the bulk of its cable assets into a separate, publicly-traded company, MSNBC is likely to have to navigate a future cut off from the newsgathering resources of NBC News. At present, a group of traditional news anchors, including Katy Tur and Chris Jansing, fill MSNBC’s weekday hours, offering reporting and journalism that isn’t as dipped in blue as the outlet’s primetime opinion programs. Veteran Andrea Mitchell recently signed off from the noon hour she anchored for decades, and an official replacement has not been unveiled.
It’s possible that Kutler may have to find new ways to fill those daytime hours. The executive is already at work on finding new Washington correspondents and a Washington bureau chief, according to one of the people familiar with the matter, and recent discussions have centered on the possibility of hiring journalists from outlets such as The Washington Post and Politico; bringing in names from other networks; and elevating current MSNBC contributors to anchor roles.
Like other cable networks, MSNBC is facing significant business challenges. More of the viewers who settle in each evening to watch a few hours of commentary on MSNBC are migrating elsewhere. MSNBC is projected to shed approximately 10.5% of its subscribers between the end of 2023 and the end of 2025, according to estimates from Kagan, a market-research firm that is part of S&P Global Intelligence. Rivals Fox News Channel and CNN are seen experiencing similar erosions in that period. MSNBC could be left with an average of 61.3 million viewers at the end of 2025, compared with 68.5 million in 2023 — and this with an election year, typically an event that brings viewers back to news, between the two milestones.
MSNBC has been working to bring viewers back after the results of the 2024 presidential election. Both MSNBC and CNN saw significant erosion following Donald Trump’s return to the White House and the national conversation, and both have unveiled programing shake-ups in recent weeks. At MSNBC, Rachel Maddow returned to hosting the 9 p.m. hour Monday through Friday, compared to the Monday-only schedule (with various special appearances) she has enjoyed in recent years. But Maddow is supposed to return to Mondays-only after Trump’s first 100 days in office, a move that would have also accommodated the return of Alex Wagner, who has been hosting Tuesdays through Fridays.
Both Psaki and “The Weekend” are close to Kutler’s heart. She developed both the trio and “Inside With Jen Psaki.” “The Weekend” has enjoyed a spike in viewership in its time slot since it launched in January of 2024. Executives at MSNBC have clearly been taken with Psaki, a former Biden White House press secretary, since she launched a Sunday hour in March of 2003.
Giving both of those programs new space suggests MSNBC is eager to maintain its progressive stance, rather than trying to tack towards middle ground. And the moves would add diversity to the network’s weekday lineup.
But for those two shows to get more space, others may have to get less. Kutler is no doubt juggling her choices.