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The Ed Show is exiting MSNBC’s primetime for weekends, host Ed Schultz announced tonight. “And in the big finish tonight, a big personal and professional announcement. MSNBC will be expanding its weekend programming and this opens a big opportunity for “The Ed Show” and my brand. I will be leaving this time slot at 8 pm ET and moving to Saturday and Sunday from 5 to 7 PM,” Schultz said at the end of the show this evening. The change to weekends will happen in April. “I’m thrilled for Ed and happy to be expanding our weekend programming. It’s an exciting time for MSNBC and I’m looking forward to having Ed’s powerful voice on our network for a long time,” said Phil Griffin, President of MSNBC in a statement Wednesday. The number two rated cable network says it will likely announce a replacement for the strident Schultz on Thursday. Frequent MSNBC contributor and Washington Post columnist Ezra Klein is considered the top contender.
Situated as the lead-in to the network’s top rated The Rachel Maddow Show, the Ed slot is a hot one for MSNBC. Schultz performed well for the network ratingswise and certainly helped contribute to MSNBC seeing double-digit gains in 2012 in both viewers and the key adults 25-54 demographic in primetime. The hour long Ed Show debuted on the liberal leaning MSNBC with the syndicated radio host as frontman in April 2009 at 6 PM ET. It went to 10 PM for a while in early 2011 and later that year in October, the show was moved to the 8 PM ET slot where it has remained ever since.
Deadline's Dominic Patten - tip him here.
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Glad to see MSNBC expanding their political coverage into the weekends. All those shows about life in prison may have drawn some kind of ratings benefit, but they’re just an embarrassment to the brand.
MSNBC employs frothing Ed, tingly Chris and crazy Al — “All those shows about life in prison” are the only thing left keeping this channel credible.
You have the IQ of a parsnip.
I think Joy Reid should be considered for this position on MSNBC. She is excellent and has a proven history of having boosted ratings when she appeared as a replacement host on another show recently.
reid
Totally agree! (from a white male!)
And if there’s any time left over they can help you out with your pettiness.
FUNNY, and you’re so right. The Comcast guys are gonna broom MSNBC sooner or later and get rid of the loony lefties, the campus TV station ratings, and the clueless Phil Griffin. Until then, I guess poor old Ed Schultz is the sacrificial lamb Griffin offers up. Not gonna be nearly enough, Philly….
U must have lost Your mind!!! The little that U have
I think you should keep Ed Schultz. He is very good at his job. I watch him every night he is on. His news keeps us up to date at what is going on in this county. All my friends and family watch him. I was glad to see Ed interview with the 47% guy. If you want to move someone move Morning Joe he doesn’t like Democrats. Anyone that is a Democrat is treated with no respect on his show. I am still for Ed he is a good guy.
Nancy,
When you get older ask your momma if you can turn the channel. You’ll find that Ed Schultz offers a relatively narrow view. Much like most journalists he only shows you what he agrees with which is very little.
MSNBC is moving him to weekends because even fewer people tune in during the weekend. In a few months people won’t even know he’s no longer on the air.
NBC continues to decline across all of its networks including MSNBC because they offer so very little of value.
I’m not sure what tea leaves you are reading, but Ed’s show is an intense review with data to back up the discussion– what’s going on in our country “political” and offer a chance for people of different views to be heard.
This isn’t about NBC ratings! This is about informed discussion, something that we need more of. We don’t need to cast dispersions we need to come together for informed discussion. If we don’t see what we want to see in a report , then we need to do our own research, including “our” sources and sources that have an opposing position–only then when we review, inform, discuss, and conclude do we really form an informed position and dialect!
For me I will be greatful for the improvement in weekend coverage & discussion of important issues. I look forward to Ed!
You are so wrong Ed provides a intelligent perspective of world events which are very informative.
Ed Is the best. I hope this not because of a mistake being made by MSNBC. I am thinking that this is Ed’s decision. May be, Ed wants to be with his wife (hope she is recovering well), a lot more time per week than he is giving he rnow. Otherwise, Ed is not irreplaceable
I agree with you.I think it’s a personal matter for “the fat redhead”Will miss his nightly defense of the middle class.
Nice… Go watch Faux News for your sense of credibility
Like Limbaugh, O’Reilly and Hannity are to be believed bout anything. Are you another one of the idiots hired by the GOP to put in your right wing bias.
Im still trying to figure out how a channel that caters to sophisticated, political analysts and economic know-it-alls does a 180 on the weekends and shows non-stop life behind bars shows…
Are there no archival footage from past presidential speeches and/or political or historical documentaries that MSNBC can show??
If someone can answer this, i would love to know. Weekends on MSNBC are more ratchet that BET and MTV combined.
Actually, it’s rather clever. It’s a way to appeal to a second, less-sophisticated audience entirely (and they probably pay for a large part of running the net.) Rupert Murdoch has found a way to run Fox News with an audience of dullards. P.T. Barnam’s phrase “Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public” should now be replaced with “There’s money in them there rubes!”
Ok, I get that…and ill admit, many hours ive sat watching the prison marathons…HOWEVER, when it comes time for commercial break, the ads are for GE, luxury cars, investment firms, etc etc…so when MSNBC’s account executives approach their clients to sell ad space, do you tell T Rowe Price that they have have a prime spot during Lockdown: Corcoran…
Maybe im missin something
Ezra is informative, funny, and refreshing. If he gets the time slot, that will be like an answered prayer, for me.
Should go to Chris Hayes
But Schiltz is better than either
I agree with you; i would love to have Erza Klein be the pick; i find his a refreshing and a counter to Paul Ryan who I strongly dislike. I am glad that Ed will be on for two whole hours because he is a serious guy and I watched him since he started on MSNBC. Let’s give Joy Reed a show also and Ira melber. These are all smart and appealing people who need to be heard,because Iam listening.
I think that Joy Reid would be the perfect pick for this slot. She is Great.
I could not agree more. I have long thought weekends after 5PM have been a wasteland.I deplore sensationalist “reality” claptrap and MSNBC has been full of it on the weekends for far too long.
The “Ed Show” can not compete with O’Reilly.Iam glad,hate seeing his ugly mug as a change the channel.
It is amazing how many ignoramuses there are in tv land
O’Reilly’s infamous verbal barrage and insane anger against Allen Colmes, who simply offered his own viewpoint,was a Goebbellian moment. Dr. Joe would have been proud. Old Bill looked just like Joe did, ranting and screaming back in the 30s and 40s. For a brief flashback I thought he’d been reincarnated.
Lose the spin. The guy is being pushed out for (insert opinion here). First listened to him during the Trayvon M story. Took me less than 5 minutes to see how over-the-top biased he is. He screamed for immediate revenge (He called it justice)and was as incendiary as any bigot could be. I know the difference between conventional journalism, honest opinion journalism and the just plain ignorant rantings of a self-absorbed vigilante’. Good ridance.
No, you just have one more opinion-YOURS.
Can’t believe the weekend prison shows attracted much of an audience, but maybe I’m wrong.
Sorry to see Ed leave.
NOT pleased, however, that his replacement is Chris Hayes. Not fond of his reporting/television skills.
They are not really expanding coverage they are moving people around. Just like Chris Hayes is leaving his weekend show and has now taken up Ed’s weekday slot instead…
I am fed up with the prison shows that are replayed over and over on MSNBC. My guess is that it is a cheap way to fill air time over the weekend and to hell with the want’s of the public. Maximum profit is all that counts. Having Ed Schultz fill some of this wasted time is a big step in the right direction
Ed just had quite a scoop on today’s show, an interview with the reclusive gentleman who shot the video of Mitt Romney’s infamous 47% comment.
Wow, timely
I hope they give Joy Reid her own show. She’s so much more interesting than Ezra Klein. Although, I get the feeling they have been grooming him for bigger things.
Ezra Klein for Ed? No way! Ezra is too sofisticated and when filling for Lawrence, he is just boring. Inteligent,but talks too fast and with no passion. Joy Reid would be perfect.
Good idea, Joy Reid would be great.
Mona,
I think your post shows a lot about the caliber of people who find Ed Schultz, Joy Reid or MSNBC interesting.
With more than 100 posts for this article I’m wondering who is left to watch the network.
Ezra is attractive, young, and nerdy and will appeal to hipsters, gay guys, and some women. And maybe that would work during the day-almost like a male version of NOW with Alex Wagner perhaps. He also reminds me quite a bit of the type they seem to have on The Cycle.
But I just can’t see him actually drawing viewers in prime time. He doesn’t have enough of a force of personality. He doesn’t seem engaging on a human level, and he seems like too much of a light weight in any debate context. Seriously, I’ve never really seen him ardently defend a position.
I’m guessing that Melissa Harris-Perry is more likely to get the job. She’s got her own “Lean Forward” ad already, she’s got strong opinions without being blustery like O’Donnell can be, and she’s fairly likable as a human being (at least in a network setting).
MHP is great, but she lives in Louisiana with her family and only travels to DC on the weekends for her show I believe. I doubt she would take the gig (unless the price was right).
Has anyone else noticed that the 3 current stars of MSNBC , ( Ezra Klein, Melissa Harris Perry, and Alex Wagner ) all have serious speech impediments?! It drives me crazy listening to them lisp their sibilant S’s for hours every day. Maybe the company got all 3 on a package deal?
OMG i thought that was only me that was annoyed by the lisp smh.
Besides the lisp’rs, there are the gabble’rs. Rachel Maddow has great stories, but she talks too fast and is too animated. Same with Chris’ Matthews – one of the worst gabble’rs on MSNBC and “let me finish” before you answer hosts. Ed’ and Reverend Al’ speak well and allow others time to answer. But cool, calm, and collected, Lawrence O’Donnell has the last word.
I’m glad that Alex,Ekra and Melissa have lisp; it shows a human quality to them and that Msnbc believes in EOE. Thank you Phil Griffin for you vision. Bring that Keith,even with his many problems; Just loved that guy!
This is all code for his ratings are awful during the week and they offered him this lousy weekend show.
You are wrong. Please just check your facts.
Grammie Pammie,
MSNBC doesn’t break into the top 10 programs on cable during any day part. Ed Schultz will be off the air within a few months. Putting him on the weekend is just an easy way for him to disappear because no one will ever see him again.
People like Dave mustn’t read all the way to the end of articles, where this one said: “Schultz performed well for the network ratingswise and certainly helped contribute to MSNBC seeing double-digit gains in 2012.”
People like Dave probably watch Fox News, which is why they are so uninformed.
I’m surprised MSNBC can still get funding to broadcast! Their message really doesn’t appeal to many viewers as they skirt major issues. Hard to be competitive when you appeal to a limited audience. To think that shuffling hosts around to give them a better hand is ammusing.Fact is that not many subscribe to their views.
Fact is that those few who do subscribe to their views,managed to put a Democrat in office twice.You’re a dinosaur-deal with that.And learn to spell.
Sorry buddy we haven’t had a fair election in decades. And MSNBC averaged less than a million viewers during the 2012 election. They didn’t swing enough votes for anything major to happen at all.
And you might want to learn punctuation.
Sorry topping off at roughly 600,000 viewers a night is not good at all. No matter which way you slice it.
Ezra’s an invaluable guest, but a ponderous host. Sorry. Joy Reid is a great communicator and broadcaster.
I’m not exactly sure why they are congratulating old Ed. Leaving a daily show in prime time for a weekend show that no one will watch (not that they were watching his current show) sounds more like a demotion, not a promotion.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Ed’s move to weekends has nothing to do with ratings — his wife has been battling cancer for quite some time and he even took a lengthy sabbatical during election season last fall to concentrate on supporting her. This could be his carving more time out of his work life to benefit his personal life.
The biggest talent on MSNBC — if not ALL of NBCNews — not named Rachel is Alex Wagner.
If MNSBC knows what’s right for them, they’ll give Alex Ed’s time slot and have a knockout evening lineup.
Thank you for the biggest laugh I’ve had in weeks!
NO!!–Alex may have a cutesy and self-adoring smile you find alluring, but she has NO CLUE how to host a show. She was passably competent as a guest (i.e. on Lawrence O’Donnell’s increasingly idiotic and bile-soaked hour), but as a host she gets eaten alive. She asks timid, nervously wordy questions, then is invariably unable to get the reins back from her guests, who plainly think she lacks the gravitas to merit their attention. The whole thing always feels like an audition gone bad.
Please bring back keat oldrmen he was and is really good !!
Thank you, Al Qaeda, for offering your opinion: “keat oldrman he good!”
will be watching Current.com
without Ed or Joy Reid
Ezra…..come on, he is booring
Dear GOD PLEASE DO NOT GIVE EZRA A SHOW! I always hate when he fills in for Rachel…. Terrible terrible idea! Btw- this is not a goodbye Ed, I will be following you to Saturdays my friend!
I have to agree. I enjoy Ezra but he does not have any personality. Not for his own show. His delivery is boring. I’d rather Steve Benen over Ezra as they are both whip smart…but neither has the comfort of being on-screen. It takes a certain personality, and Ezra just doesn’t have it.
Joy Reed would be an amazing add to the lineup. She’s smart and fun to watch. Always.
I propose SuperWonk as a title for Ezra Klein’s new show with the tagline, “All facts all the time.”
Bring back Keith
The only way Keith Olbermann will ever get back on MSNBC if he ends up in an episode of LOCKED UP.
Call it “The Ez Show.”
good one!
Seems to me that MSNBC wants the benefit if a liberal audience but doesn’t want the commentators to be do blatantly liberal. Ed talked about workers, unions, wages all the time & that’s a recipe that’s bad for any employer including Comcast and MSNBC. It’s clearly not just partisanship otherwise Morning Joe would be headed for weekends too. I like Ezra as a replacement but I don’t know if geek-chic is enough to carry a whole show.
Bye Ed. They just hung you out to dry. Sorry.
Chris Hayes would be my pick for weeknights. He’s much more comfortable on camera and almost as wonky as Ezra. Give Ezra Chris’ show so he’s sitting with other people twice a week and not performing for a lone camera.
Agreed.
I wish there was some variation of the Morning Joe team during the evenings. Those of us that work in the mornings (not to mention those of us West Coasters with East Coast-time cable) are really missing out on MSNBC’s most entertaining and welcoming show.
As a liberal, I need somehing a little less ideological. Don’t get me wrong, I turn to MSNBC for my bias. But I wish the night slot had something a little more substantial, and a little less slanted. The network needs its own Anderson Cooper; a leading figure without an agenda to skew the narrative
Tend to agree. Also, why do we need two Hardball shows. There’s enough talent to provide an evening show similar to Morning Joe in one of these slots. Get some debate in there. How about a Eugene Robinson and a Mary Kate Cary going head-to-head along with invited guests.
Nice. Can go from learning how to make toilet wine on “Lockup” to watching Ed. Seems appropriate.
Might the decision have something to do with the health of his wife?
Joy Reid would make an excellent lead-in to TRMS.
How about a two-person show to replace Ed at 8:00 PM.
Here’s a couple of suggestions:
The Alex Wager-Chris Hayes Show: Two of the smartest analysts in show business hooking up to bring you rapid insightful news of the day.
or
Michael Dyson and Krystal Ball Commentators: Offering precise interpretation and in-depth analysis of news events.
Chris Hayes might be a little too exciting – how about Charles Krauthammer on valium?
You got one thing right. Show business, it has nothing to do with factual non-partisan journalism.
Bump Chris Hayes or Melissa Harris Perry to prime time and give Ezra a weekend morning show.
Ezra is great but I think he needs a little more time to find his voice. He shines when he does his two minute challenge – which is written by him. When he is subbing for Maddow he struggles with delivery. But in Ezra’s defense, I haven’t seen anyone subbing for Maddow capable of emulating her delivery – well maybe Chris Hayes. Maddow’s routine is hard to pull off. Her team does not change their style when they have a guest host. The guest host is merely reading the prompt – which was written for Maddow – and praying it works out.
Guest subbing is not an easy gig.
The guy is a goon. Insufferable dirt bag, which makes him ideal for MSNBC. My favorite argument remains the one with people who are diehard viewers of MSNBC, but call FOX News evil. They are the same thing, the only difference being that of political ideology. Beyond that, all the same cable news nonsense.
There is one difference. MSNBC deals in facts. Instead of just complaining out it, why don’t you take the time to watch one of the shows. Yes, they do tend to lean to the left but they will call out our President if they disagree with him. Unlike Fox, who only spews hate toward our President. There is nothing our President can do to satisfy the FOX Nation. That’s why there is so much hate in our country.
There is hate because there is stupidity.Care to retract your statement,or leave it and remove all doubt.
Here’s some helpful advice for MSNBC: This first move is a good start. Now clear the whole damn slate and move the rest of those morons including the insufferable Rachel Maddow to the weekends and find some competent commentators or journalists to host prime time. I understand the difficulties you will face in that pursuit because the state of journalism in this country is pathetic.
Advice to the writer of this article, Dominic Patten: Calling “The Rachel Maddow Show,” “top-rated” is quite a stretch. She may be top-rated among MSNBC’s dismal stable of rabid left-wing talking heads, but she consistently attracts less than half the audience of “The Sean Hannity Show” which shares the same time slot—often coming awfully close to sitting on Piers Morgan’s lap at the bottom of the ratings barrel. But don’t take my word for it, those of you who live in “realville” can check the ratings yourself.
Calling Rachel Maddow “top-rated” is like calling a Special Olympics athlete a “gold medalist.”
Ahhhh we will always have the wonderful memory of the embarrassing Wisconsin REcall election and Sgt Schultz foaming at the mouth over the loss…. Let’s not forget they still have skinny fat Rev AL, to which we must that in which we much…
Why do you always have to revert to name calling. Just discuss the subject or is that too hard without putting someone down.