MSNBC Reportedly Talking to Former Fox News Anchor Shepard Smith
MSNBC executives are toying with the possibility of bringing on board former Fox News host Shepard Smith, according to a new report from The Daily Beast this evening.
Smith, who left Fox News this past October, has been being courted by MSNBC President Phil Griffin on taking a job at the network after his non-compete clause in his Fox News agreement expires. Now the cable network is floating the idea of moving around spots, to give Smith a primetime spot, in turn boosting ratings at MSNBC.
“It’s unclear what slot he would take, but we’d want him in primetime,” a source familiar with matters at MSNBC told The Daily Beast.
“We are well aware [Jeff] Zucker [president of CNN] is also pursuing him, as are a number of the networks,” the source continued.
Meanwhile, the ratings performance of Chuck Todd, who leads the regular show MTP Daily on at 5 p.m., was described as that of “a hammock,” according to a source who spoke to the Beast regarding the race for ratings and why the network is seeking overhaul their show lineup.
Todd and his staff, according to several sources, are said not to be pleased with the possible show slot switch. Per The Daily Beast:
However, Todd is said to be resisting such a move. Several sources inside NBC cited the perception that his new slot would hurt him with an even bigger dip for any program that airs after the successful Morning Joe franchise. Others said that some of the show’s staffers were less-than-thrilled by the scheduling demands of an earlier time slot. One source told The Daily Beast that NBC News and MSNBC Chairman Andy Lack recently traveled to D.C. to meet with the Meet the Pressstaff to discuss the team’s weekend show and various other projects, including the show’s podcast and a possible role on NBC’s forthcoming streaming platform.
Other names, like 2 p.m. host Katy Tur, have also been floated for the 3 p.m. slot, which will be vacated when anchor Ali Velshi moves into a new weekend role. MSNBC recruited Joshua Johnson from NPR late last year for an anchor role; he’s expected to eventually join the weekday lineup as well.
