Latest news with #AlexWagner
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Rachel Maddow's MSNBC Replacement Loses Half of Her Viewers
MSNBC star Jen Psaki took over Rachel Maddow's coveted 9 p.m. slot from Tuesday through Friday last month—and lost just about half of her nightly viewers, May's ratings reports reveal. The former White House press secretary launched The Briefing with Jen Psaki in the slot on May 6, the flagship addition to the network's revamped primetime lineup that included replacing Joy Reid's 7 p.m. The ReidOut with The Weeknight, featuring anchors Symone Sanders-Townsend, Michael Steele, and Alicia Menendez. Psaki averaged 971,000 viewers throughout the month, down from Maddow's 1.89 million ratings this year—representing a 47 percent drop—and even worse than former time slot occupant Alex Wagner's 1.3 million average from 2022 to January 2025, according to Nielsen ratings obtained by Fox News. Maddow hosted the show five nights a week to cover President Donald Trump's first 100 days in office. Psaki averaged 78,000 viewers in the advertiser-coveted 25-54 age demographic, also down 52 percent from Maddow's 161,000 viewers in the demo from Tuesday through Friday, according to Fox News. While Psaki's salary is not publicly known, it is certainly far less than the reported $25 million per year the network is currently paying Maddow to host her show just once a week. Psaki's launch coincided with a number of sporting events throughout the month, including the NBA playoffs—where game six of the New York Knicks-Indiana Pacers series drew 8.12 million viewers, and overall playoff ratings are up 3 percent from last year—as well as the NHL playoffs. Primetime ratings were also down across all major cable news outlets during the same period, as CNN dropped 18 percent in total viewers and 23 percent in the demo and Fox News dropped 5 percent in total viewers and 11 percent in the demo, according to AdWeek. But as MSNBC launches its new primetime lineup in the midst of its parent company Versant's spin-off from Comcast, its primetime declines—27 percent in total viewers and 30 percent in the demo—present an uphill battle as the shows work to find their audiences. MSNBC representatives did not comment. The Weeknight, which debuted on May 5 with former The Weekend hosts Sanders-Townsend, Steele, and Menendez, averaged 776,000 viewers throughout May, a 12 percent drop from the time slot's 2025 average with Joy Reid in the anchor seat. It averaged 72,000 viewers in the 25-54 demo, a 20 percent decrease from the 90,000 viewers the time slot drew throughout the year, according to Fox News. The left-leaning network drew more primetime total viewers than CNN throughout May, as 1.1 million people tuned into the network compared to CNN's 481,000, the network announced last week. However, both networks saw their second-lowest months ever in the 25-54 demo during primetime, according to Forbes. If there is any bright spot in MSNBC's ratings last month, it comes on weekend mornings. The newly revamped The Weekend, led by Jonathan Capehart, Jackie Alemany, and Eugene Daniels, is up by 24 percent in total viewers and 21 percent in the demo. An MSNBC source told the Daily Beast the network has managed to attract viewers due to the chaotic news cycle of Trump's first 100 days and that Psaki has managed to build her audience from 8 p.m.'s All In, hosted by Chris Hayes. They also said there were signs news fatigue as cable news ratings dropped across the board. The network has taken a cautious approach to navigating the turbulent news cycle. Maddow's five-day-a-week tenure helped stabilize and grow ratings after a post-election drop-off, and newly installed MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler has fleshed out her leadership team and begun hiring at least 100 journalists. Still, former hosts have criticized how the network has handled its talent. Reid told Katie Couric in an interview to promote her new online show that MSNBC was 'horrified' by her social media posts. 'They just don't like that it pulls their talent and their reporters out of their control because now you're not running what you're tweeting through Standards and Practices,' Reid said. 'It's giving your personality directly to the audience, which they don't like because it's no longer managed and curated by them.'
Fox News
3 days ago
- Business
- Fox News
MSNBC's revamped lineup flounders, Jen Psaki sheds 47% of predecessors' viewership
MSNBC's revamped lineup has been a misfire through one month, with Jen Psaki shedding half the audience her predecessors averaged in the same timeslot and other new programming struggling to attract viewers. Psaki, a former Biden White House press secretary who has insisted she never saw signs the former president had declined while she worked for him, saw an increased role as part of MSNBC's overhaul when programming changes were announced earlier this year. Psaki took over MSNBC's coveted 9 p.m. ET timeslot on Tuesday through Fridays last month as "The Rachel Maddow Show" returned to only airing on Mondays, after Maddow temporarily returned to airing five nights a week during President Donald Trump's first 100 days in office. "The Briefing with Jen Psaki" averaged 971,000 total viewers from its May 6 debut through May 28, shedding a staggering 47% of the audience that Maddow and Alex Wagner pulled in at 9 p.m. ET throughout 2025. Psaki has also hemorrhaged viewers from the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults aged 25-54, averaging 78,000 for a 52% drop compared to the 161,000 demo viewers that Maddow and Wagner averaged on Tuesday through Fridays at 9 p.m. ET before the former Biden spokesperson took over. Wagner hosted Tuesdays through Fridays in Maddow's usual spot before Trump's inauguration. The network also canceled Joy Reid's program "The ReidOut" and replaced it with "The Weeknight," an ensemble program featuring former Vice President Kamala Harris spokesperson Symone Sanders-Townsend, Alicia Menendez, the daughter of disgraced former Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and Michael Steele, the former Republican National Committee chair who now staunchly opposes the GOP. "The Weeknight" debuted on May 5 and averaged 776,000 total viewers through May 28 for a 12% drop compared to the 886,000 total viewers that "The ReidOut" and other temporary programs managed throughout 2025 in the 7 p.m. ET timeslot before changes went into effect. "The Weeknight" shed even more viewers from the key demo, as the new MSNBC show averaged 72,000 for a 20% decrease, compared to the 90,000 demo viewers who tuned into the 7 p.m. ET timeslot before the ensemble program kicked off. Another new show, "The Weekend: Primetime," with Antonia Hylton, Catherine Rampell, Elise Jordan and Ayman Mohyeldin, is down 11% among total viewers and 6% in the demo compared to MSNBC programming that used to occupy its timeslot. Despite the programming overhaul, MSNBC had its second-worst May in history among both total day and primetime in the demo. For the month, MSNBC settled for a dismal average of 49,000 viewers among the critical demo to lose to CNN, which averaged 59,000. During primetime, CNN averaged 76,000 demo viewers and MSNBC finished with an average of only 73,000. Only one of MSNBC's new shows is outdrawing its timeslot predecessor, as "The Weekend" with Jonathan Capehart, Eugene Daniels, and Jackie Alemany is up 24% in total viewers and 29% among the demo since launching on May 3. An MSNBC insider pushed back on the notion the network was struggling, pointing to the historic news cycle that occurred during Trump's first 100 days in office that helped attract viewers before the new programs launched. The insider also noted that Psaki has built on the audience of her lead-in while competing in the NBA and NHL playoffs. MSNBC's viewership issues come as Comcast gears up to spin off NBCUniversal cable assets, including MSNBC, into a separate company called Versant that will not be tied to NBC News. MSNBC didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Ratings data courtesy of Nielsen Media Research.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘What are we doing here?': Nicolle Wallace reacts to Trump pardoning Todd and Julie Chrisley
Harry Litman, former U.S. Attorney and Alex Wagner, MSNBC Senior Political Analyst join Nicolle Wallace on Deadline White House with reaction to Trump going on a pardon spree, and how it shows how destroying norms when it comes to the rule of law and the American justice system has become a top priority for his return to the presidency.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘No MAGA left behind': Trump issues brazen pardons for political allies and reality stars
Alex Wagner, MSNBC Senior Political Analyst, Elizabeth Oyer and Former Pardon Attorney for the Justice Department join Nicolle Wallace on Deadline White House with reaction to the brazen pardons issued by Donald Trump in the last 24 hours and how it makes clear that there are two tiers of justice in Trump's America for those that are supportive of his Presidency and for everyone else.
BBC News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Shropshire Council looks for way out of relief road scheme
A council has asked the government if it could end a controversial ring road project, but keep the £39m government money it has spent to the run up to the recent local elections, the Liberal Democrats pledged to scrap Shrewsbury's North West Relief Road if they took control of the won power with 42 of the 74 seats and have now written to the government to ask for a discussion over their the letter, council leader Heather Kidd said: "Taxpayers rightly demand that their money is spent wisely, and we feel we have inherited a near impossible situation to progress the scheme, which is only likely be solved by intervention from Ministers." The letter, signed by Ms Kidd and her deputy, Alex Wagner, was addressed to the Secretary of State for Transport and notes that, while the Department for Transport had initially committed £54m to the scheme, Shropshire Council was responsible for the goes on to say that inflation and delays meant the cost of the project now stands at an estimated £ Lib Dem administration said it "cannot guarantee that this funding gap can be covered" and that it would not be financially responsible to borrow the required council pointed out that Norfolk County Council did not have to return £33m when it withdrew a link road application, and asked the government for "an open and honest discussion".It also asked to draw a line under plans for the Oxon Link Road and suggested less costly alternatives to reduce congestion could be looked at relief road project was started and pushed forward by the previous Conservative administration on Shropshire of the local elections, both Labour and the Green Party had also pledged to scrap it, and the Green Party leader, Julian Dean, said the council "is at risk of bankruptcy" if it cancels the two roads projects and are forced to pay back the £39m spent. This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
