I haven't been following the Neilson ratings closely but I believe that "The Dog Training Network" has a larger audience than most shows at MSNBC.
MSNBC lost almost half of its viewers following the November election. It has regained some of that audience since then, but the new network chief, Rebecca Kutler, has been tasked with moving MSNBC out of the cellar where it trails Fox and CNN by a considerable amount.
Kutler has convinced MSNBC's only real star, Rachel Maddow, to go back to hosting five nights a week, at last for the first 100 days of the Trump administration.
Comcast, the parent company of MSNBC, is about ready to cut the radical left network loose from its NBCUniversal home and stick it with a new property currently called "SpinCo." As a practical matter, this means that, to survive, the network must broaden its appeal.
Last week, the network bounced radical left bomb-thrower Joy Reid from her slot. Now, left-wing anchors Katie Phang and Jonathan Capehart are losing their shows as well, according to the New York Post quoting an MSNBC insider.
In addition, the Guardian is reporting that Ayman Mohyeldin has lost his weekend slot. The trio were all fanatical Trump haters.
MSNBC drama intensifies as network axes shows hosted by 3 more lefty anchors in wake of Joy Reid’s ouster: sources https://t.co/MJBrpc0gBa pic.twitter.com/K6Jzg1Knzc
— New York Post (@nypost) February 24, 2025
Meanwhile, former Biden White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki will work the 9 p.m. timeslot from Tuesday to Friday, according to Mediaite. Psaki's leftism isn't milder than anyone else's at the network, but her delivery is more practiced and she has a pleasant demeanor. She's more appealing to mainstream Democrats than the wild-eyed firebreathers she's replacing.
Kutler is “canceling two hosts that made history. Alex Wagner is first Asian-American primetime host and Joy Reid was the first black woman cable primetime host,” another MSNBC source told The Post.
“She’s tough and very corporate. Not a lot of people like her but she gets things done.”
The Egyptian-born Mohyeldin was among the anchors MSNBC reportedly sidelined following outrage over the network’s biased coverage of the Oct. 7 massacre by Hamas in Israel.
The network denied benching Mohyeldin, along with Ali Velshi and Mehdi Hasan, who ended up leaving the network shortly after his show was canceled. Velshi remains with the network.
All three anchors will reportedly be offered other slots to host at the network, although the way that Joy Reid reacted to being canned makes me think she will look elsewhere for employment.
I hear Pravda is looking for help.
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The last thing these moves presage is a turn to the right by the network. In fact, they have little to do with politics. MSNBC's imminent move to SpinCo has unsettled the entire network. MSNBC is about to lose much of its newsgathering ability as it is cast off by NBCUniversal. It's uncertain exactly what kind of "news" network it's going to be.
MSNBC also replaced its Washington bureau chief and, with the departures of two of its Miami-based hosts, will shutter its operations in South Beach. Shuffling the hosts might be akin to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
The radical left audience has always been small, and trying to broaden it is a gamble. MSNBC may lose the most dedicated radicals if it tries to broaden its audience too much.
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