It’s a new day at MS NOW. Several previously announced changes took shape on Monday.
What We Know: Monday marked the beginning of a new era on MS NOW, as the network began its new daytime programming. The changes were previously announced, and are largely contained to the daytime lineup. However, as Stephanie Ruhle moves from The 11th Hour to mid-mornings, that puts Ali Velshi in charge of the primetime program.
What’s New: Ruhle is now hosting Money, Power, Politics from 9-11 AM ET. Alicia Menendez has left The Weeknight to host On the Line from 12-2 PM ET. The Moment with Katy Tur is now airing from 2-4 PM ET. Additionally, former NBC News correspondent Peter Alexander will join MS NOW for a show airing at 11 AM ET later this summer.
What’s At Stake: MS NOW trails Fox News in the cable news ratings in both the primetime and total day categories. However, it routinely bests CNN in primetime but has at times been beaten in the total day rankings. The changes to its daytime programming hope to make it a more formidable competitor in the total day space.
What It Means: MS NOW has gone all in on the opinion and interview space with the likes of Ruhle, Menendez, and Tur helming multiple hours in the daytime lineup. It will be interesting to watch the ratings data unfold in the coming weeks and months to see how impactful the change in strategy for MS NOW becomes.
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
