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POLITICO Playbook Co-Author Joins “Morning Joe” as a Senior Contributor and Political Analyst

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MARCH 22: (L to R) Mark McKinnon, Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Jennifer Palmieri and Ryan Lizza in conversation at “Politico X Showtime”, an event co-hosted by Eugene Daniels. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images)

POLITICO Playbook co-author Eugene Daniels will join MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” as a Senior Contributor and Political Analyst, announced in a tweet on Monday. 

Daniels became a co-author of Playbook in January of 2021, along with Rachael Bade, Ryan Lizza and Tara Palmeri. He is also a White House correspondent with a special focus on Vice President Kamala Harris, First Lady Jill Biden, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, and emerging power players in Washington. A friend of WHC Insider, Daniels is the first black and LGBTQ+ co-author of the influential newsletter.

Daniels started at POLITICO in 2018, where he covered the midterms, the Democratic presidential primary and the general election. Before that, he covered the 2016 primary, general election, and national politics as a political reporter at Newsy. He started his career at a local TV station in Colorado Springs.

Many past MSNBC contributors have gone on to anchor their own shows, like Tiffany Cross and Jonathan Capehart. Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell also are among those who got their start at the network as commentators and analysts. 

We wish Eugene all the best with his new responsibilities and know he will shine on “Morning Joe.”

Top Biden-Harris Strategist Symone Sanders To Join MSNBC 

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Symone D. Sanders, the former Senior Advisor and Chief Spokesperson to Vice President Kamala Harris, joins MSNBC as an anchor, hosting a new weekend program on the cable channel. The hire marks the first big programming move for new MSNBC President Rashida Jones, who took charge of the channel in February 2021 after its longtime head Phil Griffin departed.

Tammy Haddad, Symone Sanders, former FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, and Rachel Greenberg at the 2016 WHC Garden Brunch

Sanders’s new MSNBC program will air on Saturdays and Sundays starting in the spring, although the title, format, and time slot are all to be determined, according to NBC. She will also serve as a fill-in anchor on the network and host a show on “The Choice,” the streaming arm of MSNBC on NBCUniversal’s digital service, Peacock.

The release states that “Sanders will bring her expertise, spirited rhetoric and sharp political insight to MSNBC’s multi-platform channels. Her program will explore issues at the intersection of politics, culture and race and break down how decisions made in Washington impact electorates, industries, and communities across the country. She will also interview law and policy makers, top government officials, scholars, and thought leaders.” 

Highly accomplished, Sanders was one of the highest-ranking Black women in the Biden White House. In her mid-20s, she became national press secretary for Senator Bernie Sanders’s 2016 presidential campaign, then joined CNN as a quick-witted and creative commentator. When a Republican official told her to “shut up” during a live interview, her viral response later became the title of her memoir, “No, You Shut Up: Speaking Truth to Power and Reclaiming America.”

Sanders joined the Biden campaign in 2019 as a senior adviser, with particular passions for issues of women and Black voters. She strongly advocated for her candidate, so much so that in March 2020 she tackled a protester who rushed the stage during President Biden’s speech on Super Tuesday. In the transition to the White House, she played an integral part of Vice President Kamala Harris’s team. 

In an interview with The New York Times, Sanders expressed her interest in moving beyond politics and transitioning into media. “I’m a young woman, a young Black woman from the Midwest,” said Ms. Sanders, who grew up in Omaha. “Yes, I do politics, but I’m also a consumer of pop culture. I watch the news, I check Twitter, but I’m also into ‘Real Housewives.’ I’m interested in reaching what I call the nonpolitical group chats, the discussions that are penetrating outside of Washington.”

Sanders isn’t the first White House alum to transition into television news. “I’m going to tell the truth, and sometimes the truth is critical,” she told the New York Times of her new role at MSNBC. “This administration has its critics, just like everyone does — I have my critics — and we’re going to have those conversations.”

As a political spokesperson, Sanders understands the full perspective of the intersection between politics and media. “Oftentimes, when it came to the vice president over the last year, people were not reporting on the truth, they were reporting on the gossip.” 

Speaking last month to The Omaha World-Herald about her decision to leave the Biden Administration, Sanders said that she planned “to continue to be a reliable voice for this White House on the outside, regardless of whatever I do next.” Sanders will remain based in Washington, D.C., as she begins her new role, and she plans to marry her fiance, Shawn Townsend, in August 2022.

CNN vs FOX: Washington Post Says Networks Are the Hatfields and McCoys of Cable News

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Matt Drudge, Tammy Haddad, Howard Kurtz, Tucker Carlson, Sheri Annis, and Barbara Comstock at the Washington Correspondents’ Garden Brunch in 2004

CNN and Fox are at war when it comes to President Trump, the Parkland school shooting survivors, and even each other’s Winter Olympics coverage, the Washington Post’s Paul Farhi reports in a piece published on Thursday, March 1st.

The inter-network squabbling, writes Farhi, “has taken on new intensity in the Trump era. Hosts at CNN and Fox now trade blows almost daily about whose coverage or commentary about President Trump is more distorted or unfair.”

According to Farhi, “In many ways, the Hatfields-and-McCoys act has become a proxy for the news media’s drift into more polarized camps, especially when it comes to covering Trump. The president has certainly stoked the perception that there are pro- and anti-Trump factions in the news media, singling out CNN and Fox in particular.”

Farhi asked both networks’ respective media correspondents what all the bad blood was about.

Brian Stelter, host of CNN’s “Reliable Sources” said that “Fox influences the president of the United States in a way not seen by any other network. Fox affects society in more ways than it did even three years ago. . . . If you only looked at CNN, MSNBC or CBS and you didn’t acknowledge Fox’s influence on the president, then you’d be missing the story.”

FOX media analyst Howard Kurtz says that, “Sniping by rival cable news hosts is a more polarizing sport in the Trump era and that now includes CNN, which fairly or unfairly is often at odds with the president over its coverage. I get why anti-Trump voices at other outlets try to lump Fox’s opinion hosts in with its news division to make it appear there’s one company line, which is clearly not true.”

Kurtz adds, “I make it my business to report fairly on CNN, criticizing or defending as the situation warrants. I treat Fox the same way, which is the ultimate test of fair media reporting.”

You can read the full Washington Post piece here.

Hollywood Reporter Predicts Less Action at White House Correspondents Dinner

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Don Lemon, Stephanie Ruhle, and Matt and Morgan Walsh at the 2017 White House Correspondents’ Garden Brunch

Jeremy Barr, writing for the Hollywood Report today, claims that many of the media companies that traditionally host parties during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner weekend will be skipping out this year, but is that true?

According to Barr, “Representatives for Vanity Fair and Bloomberg confirmed that, like last year, the brands will not be co-hosting a party this year. A spokeswoman for The New Yorker said the magazine’s once-renowned party, canceled last year, isn’t happening this year either.” Barr could not confirm whether MSNBC will once again host their annual Correspondents’ Dinner after party.

This year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner takes place on April 28th. Tammy Haddad started The White House Correspondents Garden Brunch 25 years ago but has not yet commented on this year’s event.

You can read Barr’s full report here.

Trump Fails To Make State of the Union Ratings Great Again

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Media Post’s  

Donald Trump has been called the “ratings” President, because of his propensity to use the TV industry term to refer to his Presidential performance, and because he’s an ex-reality TV personality and producer. But based on Nielsen’s official ratings, the performance of his first State of the Union Address wasn’t exactly huge.

While it’s true that the ratings of Presidential State of the Union addresses have been trending downward in recent years, Trump’s first SOTU ranks only eighth in terms of viewers among the last 25 to be aired on the major broadcast and cable networks carrying it live, according to an analysis of Nielsen data.

Tina Urbanski and Colleen King named Executive Producers of MSNBC’s Hardball and The 11th Hour with Brian Williams

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Tina Urbanski, the new Hardball showrunner

 

MSNBC veteran producers Tina Urbanski and Colleen King have been promoted to showrunners for Hardball and The 11th Hour respectively.

Urbanski takes on the role of co-executive producer at Hardball with Chris Matthews, one of the cable channel’s longest-running shows. She takes the reins from Ann Klenk, a veteran producer who spent 19 years at the network and will be retiring from television.

King, a longtime Hardball producer, moves up from senior producer of The 11th Hour. Colleen began her career at CBS and had been a longtime Hardball producer.

MSNBC President Phil Griffin said of the promotions, “Colleen now helms The 11th Hour as executive producer. A key member of the 11th Hour family since the program’s inception, she helped grow the broadcast with Pat Burkey from a 30-minute “pop-up” to the #1 cable news program at 11 o’clock,” and “Tina takes on the role of co-executive producer at Hardball, continuing her fantastic work alongside fellow co-EP Court Harson. She first joined us here at MSNBC in 2002 as an assistant to Chris Matthews, quickly rising through the ranks. While at Hardball, Tina produced memorable interviews with U.S. presidents, politicians and top newsmakers both in-studio and at remote locations around the world, helping the program to become a staple in our primetime lineup.”

You can read Phil Griffin’s full statement below:

Team,

I am thrilled to announce the promotions of two of our best, Colleen King and Tina Urbanski, to executive producer.

Colleen now helms The 11th Hour as executive producer. A key member of the 11th Hour family since the program’s inception, she helped grow the broadcast with Pat Burkey from a 30-minute “pop-up” to the #1 cable news program at 11 o’clock. As a senior producer, Colleen worked across the network on many of our shows and specials, including Hardball, Morning Joe, The 11th Hour and our 2016 election coverage.

With Colleen managing The 11th Hour, Pat will be focusing on Deadline: White House, and will continue working with Brian Williams on breaking news coverage.

Tina takes on the role of co-executive producer at Hardball, continuing her fantastic work alongside fellow co-EP Court Harson. She first joined us here at MSNBC in 2002 as an assistant to Chris Matthews, quickly rising through the ranks. While at Hardball, Tina produced memorable interviews with U.S. presidents, politicians and top newsmakers both in-studio and at remote locations around the world, helping the program to become a staple in our primetime lineup. She was also an important member our 2016 presidential election team, bringing our coverage to life as a senior producer on the campaign trail, from debates to party conventions.

Tina and Court take the reins at Hardball as current co-executive producer Ann Klenk retires after 19 years with NBC family. Ann is a core member of the MSNBC team, and her spirit and dedication are unparalleled. We wish her the best in all her future endeavors.

Please join me in congratulating both Colleen and Tina on their new roles.

Halperin & Heilemann Twice as Nice! MSNBC to Re-Air “With All Due Respect” Weeknights at 6pm

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Bloomberg’s flagship politics show will find a second home on MSNBC. The channel will re-air “With All Due Respect”, featuring Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, will continue to air on Bloomberg weeknights at 5pm. Starting in January MSNBC will fill up the 6pm vacancy left by Al Sharpton’s “Politics Nation” with a re-airing of Halperin and Heilemann’s show, which has been expanded from its original 30 minutes to a full hour.

Andrew Lack, of NBC News and MSNBC, released a statement saying, “I’ve known and respected Mark and John’s work for many years. Collaborating with them on our air will strengthen our already deep and experienced political lineup as MSNBC heads into a pivotal election year.”

Justin B. Smith, Bloomberg Media CEO, said of the announcement, “This is a natural extension of the Bloomberg Politics brand for us. ‘With All Due Respect’ has been a strong multi-platform success story, and we welcome this opportunity to expand its reach to new audiences through this partnership with MSNBC.”

Chris Hayes Takes Ed Schultz' Primetime Slot at MSNBC

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Ed Schultz

MSNBC has outed Ed Schultzand replaced him at the 8 o’clock hour with Chris Hayes. The two on-air talents will be trading roles as Hayes moves to weekdays and Schultz goes off to host weekend blocks according to Dylan Byers. The changeover is scheduled for April 1, a scant 26 days before the White House Correspondents Dinner in D.C.

Brian Stelter theorizes the shift is age and lead-in to Rachel Maddow:

“The change is predicated on the belief that MSNBC can win a wider audience with Mr. Hayes than it did with Mr. Schultz, a champion of the working class whose bluster didn’t always pair well with Ms. Maddow and the channel’s other prime-time program, ‘The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell.’ Mr. Hayes, on the other hand, is just as wonky as Ms. Maddow and Mr. O’Donnell, and is a regular contributor to both of their programs.”

Schultz, who has spearheaded a blue-collar vibe for MSNBC, will become host of a series of weekend specials for MSNBC. While the network has been trying to get the established anchor out from his slot for a while–remember when Ezra Klein was a bold-faced name floated for this in November? Hayes has gained steam and popular press with how he’s formatted his weekend program “Up with Chris Hayes,” especially when it comes to conservative commentators. It’s apparent MSNBC hopes he’ll be the last nail in order to drive away Fox News’ O’Reilly juggernaut. Until then, here’s hoping Hayes will join Maddow behind the bar at the White House Correspondents Dinner after-party in April.

R.I.P. Axelrod's Mustache 1972-2012

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History was made today on Morning Joe as we all saw David Axelrod‘s mustache for the last time. Well, that’s being overly dramatic since it’ll probably be back in a month, but you know what we’re getting at.

Axelrod promised to put his famed facial hair under the razor if his Slash the’Stache could raise a million dollars–and it did! After presenting New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg with an award at a CURE Epilepsy reception last night, Axelrod showed up to have his public shaving. Surrounded by the MoJoe regulars, his wife Susan and even Willie Geist and Savannah Guthrie beamed in from the set of Today it finally came time to make good on CURE’s promise to slash the ‘stache.

Words can’t describe a stache-less Axelrod. Which is why there’s the now-iconic still of a grinning man who received a million dollars to help fund research for a great cause.

From Vince Vaughn and The Producers of Singled Out and Jon Stewart Show Comes…Glenn Beck?

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The Pursuit of Truth Teaser

File this under the weirder announcement of an otherwise exciting humpday.

TV Newser has the press release that Glenn Beck‘s TheBlaze [sic] will be venturing into the realm of documentary programming, much like MSNBC and CNN before him.

Whereas the major cable networks skewed toward franchise series (Lockup, or any of Anderson Cooper’s reports), Beck is going a different route: he’s making a reality show first, producing a documentary second.

[Read more…]