MSNBC Mayhem: Rachel Maddow Pay Cut, Brutal Lineup Shakeup Coming
SCOOP: TV's 'safe space for liberals' is about to reshuffle its stars as the network re-ups its marquee name under a tough new spinoff-ready reality
Lachlan Cartwright writes about media. He previously broke news of the Chris Wallace pay cut that led to his departure in CNN’s star-salary “beheadings” and the paltry payday for Brian Williams for The Ankler.
This Ankler feature is a 10-minute read.
The bombshell announcement on Wednesday that Comcast will spin off NBCUniversal’s cable channels added fresh rocket fuel to the anxiety consuming talent and executives at MSNBC.
I can report exclusively that the outlet has re-upped marquee talent Rachel Maddow, the network’s lead on election night and best-known anchor. Three years ago, I broke the news of Maddow’s $30M deal to stay at MSNBC. Now people familiar with the matter tell me she was quietly renewed early this fall — but for a far lesser amount (below I’ll tell you exactly how much less and for how long).
I’ve also learned about MSNBC bosses’ new plan to shakeup both daytime and weekend programming and to name a new host of the Morning Joe lead-in (I’ll tell you who). And keep reading to find out which household news names will be gaining air time and losing it.
Nerves are as raw in 30 Rock right now as the oysters downstairs at Oceana. Following Donald Trump’s resounding win, the network’s ratings have cratered — two days after the election, its numbers were down a whopping 40 percent year over year, according to Nielsen data. Viewership is in revolt and two of MSNBC’s iconic faces, Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, are accused of destroying their anti-Trump cred by traveling to Mar-a-Lago to meet with the president-elect. (A spokesperson for MSNBC and a spokesperson for NBC declined to comment.)
On Election Day, Lorne Michaels, Andy Richter, Michael Che and Questlove all made surprise appearances in the MSNBC control room to catch the excitement (before it fizzled). Four years from now, you won’t see NBC’s late-night comedy execs and stars lurking behind the scenes, as Comcast’s spinoff of its cable assets — a drag on share price — will set loose MSNBC (along with CNBC) from the NBC mothership.
The development signals major cost-cutting coming at both cable news networks. It also puts into question the future of NBCUniversal News Group chairman Cesar Conde — an ambitious exec who always has his eye on a bigger prize and instead now faces a shrunken remit, supervising NBC News, NBC News Now, Telemundo Enterprises and NBCU Local stations (plus pursuing “other growth opportunities” alongside Comcast president Mike Cavanagh).
I spoke to a dozen MSNBC executives, producers and journalists over the last week, and in this dispatch, you’ll learn:
The size of Rachel Maddow’s pay cut
Which star on-air talent is out and who is in
MSNBC president Rashida Jones’ plans to shake up dayside and weekend programming
The soon-to-be named new host of the Morning Joe lead-in
Questions around on-air talent who do double duty on NBC News
Who’s gaining broadcast hours — but why that isn’t necessarily a good thing
How Mark Lazarus, CEO of the new “SpinCo,” is spinning its strategy
The star who spikes viewership as “ratings Viagra” for MSNBC
Who’s filling the leadership void left by uninspired and uninspiring execs
The urgent and multiplying questions about the network’s future
How Joe and Mika’s critics see their Mar-a-Lago pilgrimage
Keith Olbermann’s blistering words to me about Scarborough
Staffers’ concerns about platforming “this Star Wars freak show bar” of Trump cabinet appointees
Cost Cutting, Schedule Shakeups and Anchor Exits
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Image credits: Brzezinski and Scarborough: Todd Owyoung/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images; Tur: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images; Vitali: William B. Plowman/NBC via Getty Images; Maddow: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images; Sharpton: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
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Why would you have people who were wrong about the election “explain” what happened in the election? It’s bad management.
MSNBC employed and deployed an army of analysts and “strategists” to explain what was happening in the 2024 campaign(s). 90 percent of them were wrong or clueless or both. In the days that followed Trump’s election, the same 90 were deployed to “explain” what happened.