All articles tagged with #ms now
Paula Reid is reportedly leaving CNN to join MS NOW, a move that comes as Paramount plans to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, signaling newsroom changes tied to the broader ownership shakeups.
Variety reports Paula Reid, CNN’s chief legal affairs correspondent, is expected to move to MS NOW after declining a renewal as CNN’s future remains uncertain amid Warner Bros. Discovery’s Paramount Skydance takeover talks; MS NOW reportedly pledges stronger hard-news coverage under Rebecca Kutler, while CNN and Reid’s representatives declined to comment.
MS NOW is overhauling its weekend lineup: veteran anchor Alex Witt is leaving after 27 years and The Weekend: Primetime is being canceled, with its final episode airing June 27. Antonia Hylton will assume the 1–4 p.m. ET weekend slot later this summer, with Joy Fowlin as executive producer on the new show. The network will replace Primetime with taped programming and video podcasts while bolstering its breaking-news coverage, and other Primetime hosts will transition to new roles.
MS NOW is ending its live weekend Primetime block as part of a cost-cutting push to fund a direct-to-consumer streaming service and expanded live events. Veteran anchor Alex Witt is departing; Antonia Hylton will take over her midday slots, with 20 hours of live weekend programming still on air. Per a memo from MS NOW President Rebecca Kutler, layoffs are expected to be minimal and about 40 new openings will be available for affected staff; the network will also pursue taped content and podcast partnerships, and Peter Alexander is set to anchor the weekday 11 a.m. slot in the future.
MS NOW will shift its weekend programming to taped video podcasts, expanding Crooked Media partnerships and ongoing hosts, with Antonia Hylton taking weekend hours while veteran Alex Witt plans to depart later this year; The Weekend: Primetime is canceled, staffing reductions are expected, and the network is eyeing a direct-to-consumer streaming service.
MS NOW will shift weekend-night programming to taped podcasts and other taped content after 6 p.m. ET, following a successful Crooked Media partnership; The Weekend: Primetime ends on Saturdays, with Antonia Hylton moving to the 1–4 p.m. weekend slot. Ayman Mohyeldin, Elise Jordan and Catherine Rampell will remain, while Alex Witt is departing later this summer. The network plans more taped hours and partnerships through the summer, will keep weekend staffing for breaking-news coverage, and will continue Sky News international simulcasts; MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler says the changes come as part of a broader investment in direct-to-consumer offerings, with about 40 open positions and more than a dozen roles to be posted soon.
MS NOW is reshaping its weekend slate toward podcasts and taped programming, ending The Weekend: Primetime and confirming longtime anchor Alex Witt will depart later this year; Antonia Hylton will take over the 1–4 p.m. weekend slot, with Joy Fowlin as executive producer. The changes include expanded partnerships (notably Crooked Media), more taped content, a larger breaking-news team, and about 20 hours of live weekend programming, with a small round of layoffs and roughly 40 open roles overall.
Tom Hanks playfully teased MS NOW’s viewership during a live interview with Jacob Soboroff at the Obama Presidential Center, quipping “add a zero” to the audience and noting he could hear the clicks; MS NOW’s Q1 2026 numbers were about 691,000 day viewers and 1.1 million in primetime, behind Fox News’s 1.7 million day viewers and 2.6 million primetime, with MS NOW not commenting.
A HuffPost piece on Jen Psaki’s MS NOW shows longtime Trump supporters from Ohio and beyond voicing frustration with rising prices and perceived broken promises, with examples like Annette Dombrowski describing financial strain and panic attacks, and voters such as Chris Tackett and Rob Couch bluntly suggesting they may not back Trump in the future, signaling a potential shift in the MAGA base as the segment frames this as a ‘buyer’s remorse’ moment.
Alexis Wilkins, girlfriend of FBI Director Kash Patel, filed a federal lawsuit accusing MS NOW and reporters of using sham anonymous sources to falsely portray her as being intoxicated and connected to a partying image, despite her sobriety, seeking more than $75,000 in damages and a jury trial.
Fox News remained the top cable-news network for the week of May 11 with about 2.282 million total viewers and 202,000 adults 25-54 in primetime, though both figures were down from the prior week and year. MS NOW posted year-over-year gains but slipped week-over-week (primetime 903k total; 87k demo; total day 581k total; 62k demo), while CNN fell week-over-week but posted strong YoY increases (primetime 661k total; 104k demo; total day 447k; 69k). The Five led the top shows at 3.373 million total viewers (317k demo), with the only non-Fox title in the top 15 being MS NOW’s The Rachel Maddow Show at 1.942 million total viewers (160k demo). Nielsen data cited by AdWeek show overall declines versus the prior week across the networks, with Fox News down in primetime and total day, while MS NOW and CNN exhibit divergent year-over-year patterns.
Mediaite reports on MS NOW’s first WHCD afterparty since its NBC breakup—a gritty, underground-themed bash dubbed Democracy After Hours — The Underground After Party at Dupont Underground, with guests including Jacob Frey, Ken Martin, Jen Psaki, Katy Tur, Symone Sanders-Townsend, and Real Housewives alums; the event signals MS NOW’s new independent identity and emphasizes the role of a free press in democracy, contrasting NBC’s traditional party.
March’s news cycle, dominated by President Trump’s war with Iran, boosted cable-news audiences across Fox News, CNN and MS NOW. Fox News led primetime with 2.994 million viewers (up 15% vs February) and totaled 1.897 million for the day (up 10%), with demo gains of 24% in primetime and 17% in total day. CNN climbed to 898,000 in primetime (up 11%) and 638,000 total-day viewers (up 48%), with demo increases of 14% (primetime) and 41% (total day). MS NOW was second in primetime with 1.262 million viewers (up 11%), while primetime demo averaged about 130,000 (down 1%). In total day, MS NOW averaged 757,000 viewers (up 7%) with roughly 80,000 demo viewers (up 1%). Across the board, year-over-year figures also improved, highlighting how Iran- and Trump-focused coverage boosted audience interest.
Peter Alexander, NBC News’ chief White House correspondent and Saturday co-host of Today, is departing NBC after 22 years to reportedly join MS NOW, citing personal reasons and a desire for better work-life balance after extensive travel. He led major coverage including the Maduro operation and interviews with the Iranian foreign minister and holds Edward R. Murrow and Cronkite awards. NBC has not commented, and Deadline notes the network is overhauling its daytime lineup as NBC News reshapes its newsroom post-split from Comcast.
NBC News veteran Peter Alexander is leaving NBC News after more than two decades to join MS NOW as anchor and chief national reporter, running a weekday program and breaking-news coverage. He will anchor MS NOW's 11 a.m. hour, succeeding Ana Cabrera as the daytime lineup shifts post-split with NBC News. Alexander is the first NBC journalist to move to MS NOW since the split; his Versant deal also covers potential sports contributions on USA Network and the Golf Channel.