According to two persons with firsthand knowledge of the situation, MSNBC has informed most of the staff members who create Rachel Maddow and Joy Reid’s prime-time evening news programs that they would be let go as part of the network’s programming makeover, with the opportunity to apply for other positions.
According to the people, Maddow, the most well-known and highly regarded anchor on MSNBC, will be allowed to retain her executive producer, Cory Gnazzo, as well as a number of other top producers.
However, according to the persons, Maddow’s remaining staff members, as well as producers who worked on the other axed shows, which were presented by José Díaz-Balart, Jonathan Capehart, Ayman Mohyeldin, and Katie Phang, have been offered the chance to reapply for other positions at the network or claim severance pay.
Jen Psaki, the former Biden White House press secretary, will take up the Tuesday-to-Friday slot when Maddow returns to Mondays exclusively and the programming change takes effect on April 21. Maddow is currently hosting five evenings a week during the first 100 days of the Trump administration.
According to an MSNBC insider, the adjustments were a reallocation of producers to accommodate new programs and objectives rather than “widespread layoffs.” They stated that the affected employees would not be given the opportunity to reapply for the new positions until they had been advertised internally.
This kind of personnel change—having workers reapply for positions in time slots they currently produce—is unheard of at MSNBC. Generally speaking, MSNBC has taken excellent
But the cable news industry as a whole is going through a difficult moment. Similar to how CNN fired off 200 people last month as its new CEO, Mark Thompson, tried to shift to a digital strategy, MSNBC, which is being spun off by NBCUniversal, is looking for cost savings.
The possibility that the new postings will primarily be in New York, where the hourly pay rates negotiated by the various unions are believed to be lower, has quietly alarmed some Washington, DC, staffers. Relocating may also be necessary for new work in New York.
Status revealed over the weekend that a Reid’s program staff member questioned Rebecca Kutler, the recently appointed president of MSNBC, about the show’s staff’s future. According to reports, Kutler confirmed Kutler also reportedly told them that more than 100 new roles would be posted this week and encouraged affected staff members to apply. She added that six months from now, there would be more employees at MSNBC than there are currently.
On Monday night, Maddow appeared to attack MSNBC for the recent programming shake-ups and the treatment of its workers during a monologue on her show.skip past newsletter promotion
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The dozens of producers and staff who work behind the scenes are “really being put through the wringer,” Maddow said, and they may be laid off or “invited to reapply for new jobs.”
“That has never happened at this scale, in this way before when it comes to programming changes,” Maddow said. “It kind of drops the bottom out of whether or not people feel like this is a good place to work, and it’s inefficient and unnecessary, so we don’t usually do things that way.”
During the monologue, the anchor also referred to Reid’s termination as a “bad mistake” and expressed her desire to keep Reid on as an MSNBC colleague.
“In my opinion, letting her leave is a terrible mistake,” Maddow remarked. “I realize it’s not my call, but that’s what I believe.”