MS NOW is rewriting the weekend cable news playbook, and honestly, it’s hard to argue with the logic. The rebranded network recently added video podcast editions from Nicolle Wallace and Chris Hayes to its weekend lineup — a roster that already included Pod Save America. That’s a deliberate strategy taking shape, not a happy accident. And the more you think about it, the more sense it makes.
Cable news has always been expensive. Live shot crews, graphics packages, control room staff, segment producers — it adds up fast. Podcast programming flips that equation entirely. A video podcast might need a camera operator, a decent backdrop, and two people who know how to talk. The production overhead is microscopic compared to a traditional cable hour, and the content can still be sharp, topical, and relevant to the audience already tuning in. Cheap and compelling rarely share the same sentence in the television business. But here, they do.
So naturally, the question becomes: is MS NOW just ahead of the curve, or is everyone else about to follow?
The Cost Argument Is Hard to Ignore
Let’s be honest about what’s driving this. Cable news networks aren’t flush with cash the way they once were. Skinny bundles, cord-cutting, and shrinking advertising revenue have forced every network to get creative about how they fill hours — especially on weekends, when A-list anchors aren’t typically working.
Podcast programming solves that problem elegantly. It’s familiar talent, engaging conversation, and low overhead. That combination is essentially a gift to a cable programmer trying to stretch a budget.
MS NOW recognized that first. Wallace and Hayes already have audiences who follow their work closely. Putting their podcasts on a cable window doesn’t dilute the brand — it extends it. Viewers who might not have discovered the podcast version get exposed to it. Podcast listeners who are already fans might tune in on the television side. It’s a cross-platform play dressed up as weekend programming, and it works.
Could CNN and Others Be Next?
That’s where things get interesting. CNN has long used its weekend hours to step outside the relentless breaking news cycle — long-form documentaries, investigative franchises, personality-driven programming. A podcast simulcast wouldn’t be a massive departure from that approach. In fact, it’d fit right in.
Consider Pivot with Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway. Swisher has been publicly vocal about her desire to exit her CNN contract early, given her concerns about the direction of the network under the Ellison ownership. But even setting that aside, the show is exactly the kind of smart, argumentative, high-profile programming that would play well in a cable window. The same logic applies to Don Lemon’s podcast, which has found a real audience since his CNN departure. Piers Morgan and Megyn Kelly — two personalities who generate strong reactions on both sides — could each command a weekend slot on a cable network willing to take the deal.
Fox News is the obvious outlier here. The network doesn’t need to experiment with podcast programming because its existing model simply works. Ratings, revenue, engagement — Fox operates in a different tier than its competitors. It’s an anomaly in the cable news landscape, and it gets to think about fewer of the problems other networks have to solve. But for everyone else, the math on podcast programming is getting harder to dismiss.
This trend should also register as a genuine positive for the podcast industry itself. When cable networks compete with streaming platforms for podcast content and talent, it drives up the value of that content. Creators benefit. Audiences get more access points. And the format — which has always thrived on conversation rather than production spectacle — gets validated on one of the biggest stages in news media.
More options, lower costs, broader reach. That’s not a warning sign. That’s just smart programming.
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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.
