Well, it's time to bid a fond farewell to most of what made MSNBC worth watching.
NBC is about to overhaul the cable network and it won't be pretty.
According to the Washington Post, disgraced NBC News anchor Brian Williams will be added to the daytime lineup in a shift in emphasis from pundits to news. The idea is to make the whole thing look more like CNN.
The overhaul could sweep some of MSNBC’s pundits and hosts away in favor of more news coverage, continuing a trend MSNBC has already started. The revamped lineup will feature a familiar face: Brian Williams, who NBC has decided to redeploy at MSNBC when his six-month suspension as anchor of “NBC Nightly News” lapses in August.
The story does not indicate who would be dumped. But it does say who is likely to stay -- and that isn't anything to cheer about other than Maddow.
A few other stars are likely to remain at MSNBC, too, including prime-time hosts Rachel Maddow and Chris Matthews, as well as morning hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, according to NBC staffers with knowledge of the expected changes. Those four are considered to be franchise players in an otherwise dismal lineup that has pushed MSNBC’s audience ratings to some of their lowest levels.
Presumably, then, Chris Hayes and Al Sharpton and Ed Schultz should start redoing their resumes. I'm guessing those Cycle hosts are gone too.
Not sure if any of this affects the weekend lineup of Melissa Harris Perry and Steve Kornacki.
It is obvious that something has to be done. MSNBC's viewership has cratered. It average about 350,000 viewers for each 24-hour cycle. That can't continue.
But if NBC is going to turn it into CNN they might as well just pull the plug.