Articles Feature

Reid’s Exit Said to Be Part of Larger Strategy

by richard0590

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Maddow: ‘Bad Mistake’ to Let Her Walk Out the Door

“On Monday evening, Joy Reid sat beneath the bright studio lights inside MSNBC’s Washington bureau, staring directly into the camera for one final time as host of “The ReidOut,” Oliver Darcy wrote Monday night for his Status newsletter.

“The weight of the moment was palpable — it was the end of the road for her at MSNBC. Clad in a purple ‘ReidOut’-branded jacket emblazoned with the MSNBC logo, she appeared every bit the anchor who had for years defined the progressive cable channel’s 7 p.m. hour, unafraid to address issues head-on. Now, Reid had to address the issue of her own departure directly with her loyal viewers.

“As her final show came to a close, she was joined by Rachel Maddow, Nicolle Wallace, and Lawrence O’Donnell for a special segment celebrating her tenure, a notable display of solidarity from some of MSNBC’s biggest names. They reminisced; they laughed; they expressed disappointment her program was ending; and they reflected on the role Reid had played in shaping the network’s progressive voice.

“ Well, first I want to say that I love you, Joy, and that I am bereft that ‘The ReidOut’ is ending,” Caitlin McCormack reported for the New York Post, quoting Maddow. “I really I just can’t even I sort of can’t get beyond that. So I want to say that. But that is also part of what I think I have to say to the country about this moment, which is find people who you respect and trust and love and make common cause with them and help, you know, help yourself by learning from them and help them by standing up for them. And I think we have tried to do that,” Maddow said. (Photo: From left, Reid, Maddow, Wallace, O’Donnell. Credit: MSNBC)

“Reid lauded Maddow for her praise and returned her compliments by unofficially knighting her as the network’s “fearless leader.”

“Wallace went a step further and even equated Reid’s departure to ‘losing a limb.’

“ ‘And I think that my reaction to the end of ‘The ReidOut” and your departure is despair. And the only thing that chips away at that for me, is that despair is the autocrat’s tool. It’s their most effective weapon. It costs nothing. It’s easy to deploy, it’s contagious. And then it puts in motion all the actions they want. Hopelessness. Isolation. Exasperation. Giving up. And so the only reason I will not wallow in what I feel about you leaving is, is because I think that’s what they want,’ Wallace said.”

Darcy continued, “Then, as the final moments of ‘The ReidOut’ approached, it was time for Reid to say goodbye.

“ ‘A special shout out to our amazing Reiders, our audience — I just love running into y’all in the airport, on these streets, and on social media. I could not love or appreciate you more. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for holding us down,’ Reid said, before urging her fans to follow her on social media and — notably — Substack.

“While news of Reid’s cancellation leaked over the weekend, in truth, her fate had been all but sealed long ago. Last year, when her expiring contract was renegotiated, MSNBC brass only signed her to a one-year extension, I’m told — a clear sign that network executives were keeping their options open rather than making a long-term commitment. That kind of short-term deal is often used as a stopgap to buy time ahead of a possible shakeup, suggesting that leadership was already weighing its options. At the very least, it certainly made Reid more vulnerable.

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“Fair or not, Reid had over the years become a lightning rod of right-wing criticism, frequently drawing the ire of Donald Trump’s MAGA movement and offering an easy target to attack MSNBC’s editorial stances. While she had a devoted following, her freewheeling style and outspoken commentary — particularly on social media — often overshadowed the network and irked Comcast and NBCUniversal executives.

“With Comcast moving to spin off MSNBC and its other cable assets into a separate company later this year, the writing was all but on the wall. Mark Lazarus (pictured), now overseeing the SpinCo division, has been clear in private conversations about his desire to refine MSNBC’s public perception, as we’ve previously reported. Lazarus has indicated in those conversations that he believes there is a view among some that Republicans cannot get a fair shake from the network — a notion he would like to change. Lazarus’ goal is to do this not by pushing the network rightward, but by making its brand of progressivism more broadly appealing, which I’m told he has discussed with new network boss Rebecca Kutler.

“The evolved MSNBC taking shape under Kutler (pictured), who Lazarus recently appointed following Rashida Jones’ exit, aims to present progressive views in a manner that doesn’t invite as much external scrutiny. Reid’s departure reflects that shift away from an at-times combative posture toward one that embraces a palatable progressivism without the same degree of provocation. That’s why Reid is out, but Jen Psaki, Symone Sanders Townsend, Michael Steele, and Alicia Menendez are in.

“The ouster of Reid, however, has triggered some backlash — both inside and outside of MSNBC. Notably, Maddow took time on her Monday program to reflect that frustration, lauding Reid and skewering the move to cancel her show. Maddow said it has been ‘very, very, very hard’ to digest the choice to oust Reid from the programming lineup, adding that she believes it is a ‘bad mistake to let her walk out the door.’

“ ‘It’s not my call and I understand that,’ Maddow said. ‘But that’s what I think. I will tell you, it is also unnerving to see that on a network where we have two — count them, two — non-white hosts in prime time, both of our non-white hosts in prime time are losing their shows, as is Katie Phang on the weekend. And that feels worse than bad, no matter who replaces them. That feels indefensible. And I do not defend it.’

“In any event, Kutler has stressed to people that the network must play ‘error-free ball,’ a modus operandi that her former boss Jeff Zucker instilled in his executives at CNN. The next four years of Trump in office will present a blizzard of challenges for newsrooms, with executives like Kutler and Lazarus aiming to avoid any unforced errors that could hamper their larger goals. Indeed, SpinCo will certainly need to grow through various M&A deals if it wishes to survive — and such deals will necessitate being on somewhat decent footing with the administration.

“Reid’s style of commentary did not help in that regard, as evidenced by Trump’s Truth Social post following the cancellation of her show. Trump took the opportunity to bash ‘Concast,’ calling Brian Roberts a ‘lowlife chairman’ and saying he ‘finally got the nerve up to fire one of the least talented people in television.’ Trump went on to smear Reid as a ‘mentally obnoxious racist’ who ‘should have been ‘canned’ long ago.” Then — after blasting Alex Wagner, Al Sharpton and Maddow — Trump went on to threaten Comcast as a business.

” ‘This whole corrupt operation is nothing more than an illegal arm of the Democrat Party,’ Trump wrote, in a post that surely grabbed the attention of executives in Philadelphia. ‘They should be forced to pay vast sums of money for the damage they’ve done to our Country. Fake News is an UNPARDONABLE SIN!’ “

Holt Stepping Down at ‘NBC Nightly News’

First Black Solo Anchor on Network Evening Program

Up at MSNBC: Psaki, Velshi; Down: Wagner, Phang, Diaz-Balart

Homepage photo: Lester Holt reports the death of Aretha Franklin for “NBC Nightly News” on Aug. 16, 2018. (Credit: NBC)

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Lester Holt anchors “NBC Nightly News” on Friday. (Credit: YouTube)

First Black Solo Anchor on Network Evening Program

Lester Holt, anchor and managing editor of “NBC Nightly News” for a decade and the first African American solo anchor on a nightly network news program, announced Monday that he is stepping down from the broadcast at the beginning of the summer.

“Holt will continue to be a fixture at the network with a full-time role at ‘Dateline,’ where he has been the principal anchor for almost 15 years, according to a memo shared with network staff Monday,” Daniel Arkin reported for NBC.

“NBC News did not immediately name Holt’s successor.”

“After 10 years, 17 if you include my years on the weekends, the time has come for me to step away from my role as anchor of ‘Nightly News,’ ” Holt told colleagues. “It has truly been the honor of a lifetime to work with each of you every day, keeping journalism as our true north and our viewers at the center of everything we do,” Holt said in a memo to staffers Monday.

“But before we play the walk off music, I have another announcement. I’m excited to report I will be continuing as anchor of ‘Dateline NBC,’ but for the first time in a full time capacity whereby I will be expanding my footprint on the broadcast and crafting ‘Dateline ‘hours on subjects I care deeply about. I am thrilled to be able to work more closely with my enormously talented friends at Dateline as the broadcast continues to grow and attract new viewers in new places.”

While Holt did not emphasize his race on air, he told Journal-isms when he was named in 2015 that he has “a strong sensitivity” about the story of race and that “It’s a story that, among others, we’ll be going at aggressively.” He also said then that he expected to pay more attention to how technology affects our lives, and that Asian American and Latino journalists are in the NBC pipeline who could one day follow him into the anchor chair.

The National Association of Black Journalists added to Holt’s many honors in 2016 when it named him Journalist of the Year.

When Holt accepted the award at a reception at NBC’s New York headquarters, then-NABJ president Sarah Glover said, “He has done so much – the journalism excellence that he exudes day after day is the gold standard. We thank you for shining a light on great journalism and for leading the way.”

Holt said at the occasion, “Our diversity in newsrooms simply makes us better. When we sit in our editorial meetings every afternoon at ‘Nightly News,’ that diversity of race, culture and sexual identity – all of those things come into place when we start discussing news of the day and everybody can bring something to the table. That just simply makes us better journalists. So, I want to applaud NABJ for what the organization continues to do, it’s incredibly vital.”

Holt also discussed there the Black anchors who came before him, mentioning Max Robinson, Carole Simpson, Bryant Gumbel and Bernard Shaw. “These are people that opened the doors for people like me to walk through and therefore it’s incumbent on all of us to remember that many of us are the products of great mentors.”

A younger Lester Holt reports for Chicago’s WBBM-TV in 1991. (Credit: YouTube)

Racial protest gave many of them a boost, including Holt. “A native Californian who had worked in Los Angeles and New York, Holt started in Chicago in 1986 after the Operation PUSH-led boycott of WBBM, over issues of minority representation and coverage, seriously damaged its standing among viewers,” Steve Johnson wrote in 2013 for the Chicago Tribune. “So did subsequent management stabs at a more tabloid-style newscast.

More recently, after the protests over the police killing of George Floyd in 2020, NBCUniversal News Group Chairman Cesar Conde set a goal of having a 50 percent diverse work force across his division.

In Chicago, “Holt teamed with Linda MacLennan to front the flagship 10 p.m. news in 1995. While they were a polished, professional team, nothing the station could do would improve the ratings.”

But that was then. Today, Geoff Bennett is co-anchor of the “PBS News Hour” and Maurice DuBois is the new co-anchor of the “CBS Evening News.” Both are Black men.

Bennett (pictured) messaged Journal-isms Monday, “Lester Holt is the epitome of journalistic excellence and one of the most trusted voices in news. His impact on the industry is undeniable, and his commitment to delivering the news with professionalism and humanity is something we all admire. He’s also one of the kindest and most gracious people you’ll ever meet in this business — his generosity is just as impressive as his journalism.”

Brian Steinberg wrote Monday for Variety, “Holt has been a calming presence at NBC News, where his unflappable and low-key demeanor helped the news division move forward after a period of tumult. He took over ‘Nightly’ duties after his predecessor, Brian Williams, was removed following scrutiny of claims the latter made about the details of a reporting trip to Iraq.

“Holt has tried to stretch new muscles, always conscious that traditional TV viewers, once wed to watching evening news after coming home from work on a set in the living or family room, were interacting with such content in different ways. ‘A year or two from now, people might be watching us on their toaster,’ Holt told Variety in 2015, ‘and we’ve got to be there to put butter on the bread.”

“In 2020, he launched a ‘Kids’ Edition’ of ‘Nightly.’ During some broadcasts, Holt talked to Sesame Street characters about mental health awareness, and looked at the birth of a rare antelope at the Oregon Zoo. He has also tinkered with the ‘Nightly’ ‘closing, delivering in somber national moments something more reflective and nuanced than the typical anodyne sign off. One day before the 2020 presidential election, he told viewers, ‘democracy is messy, but we’ve got to let it work,’ particularly for ‘our children, who you know are watching us.’ During Holt’s tenure, ‘Nightly’ also tried to focus on news in different parts of the country, including Florida and California, and not just on events in New York and Washington, D.C.”

Steinberg also wrote, “Holt’s exit is the latest in a parade of departures of senior TV-news personnel in recent months as the industry grapples with new economic pressures brought about by the rise of streaming, and contends with a harsh climate for media outlets in the early days of the second Trump administration. Chuck Todd, the veteran political director and ‘Meet the Press’ moderator, left NBC News in January, and Andrea Mitchell, the longtime international affairs and politics reporter, recently ended her decades-long tenure on MSNBC’s daytime schedule. Hoda Kotb recently left her duties at NBC News’ ‘Today.”’

Apart from his NBC duties, Holt has continued to play bass guitar with his rock band, the Rough Cuts, founded during a holiday party for “Dateline” staff in 2017. “The band plays classic rock and more modern fare,” Michael Malone reported in 2023 for nexttv.com

From left,Jan. 30: Jonathan Capehart, Jen Psaki, Symone Sanders Townsend and Luke Russert. (Credit: X)

Up: Psaki, Velshi; Down: Wagner, Phang, Diaz-Balart

Jen Psaki will anchor a nightly weekday show in prime time, replacing Alex Wagner; “The Weekend” co-hosts will be replaced by a new trio of anchors that includes Jonathan Capehart, a host on MSNBC and columnist; Ali Velshi’s program will expand to three hours on the weekends, and the Miami-based “José Díaz-Balart Reports” and “The Katie Phang Show” will be canceled, according to news reports on an MSNBC announcement Monday.

“The network also plans to introduce an evening edition of ‘The Weekend’ hosted by a different group of anchors including MSNBC host Ayman Mohyeldin,” Benjamin Mullin reported for The New York Times.

Rebecca Kutler, MSNBC’s president, confirmed in a memo Monday that Joy Reid, host of “the ReidOut,” is leaving the network, to be replaced by the trio that currently co-hosts “The Weekend,” which airs Saturday and Sunday mornings: Symone Sanders Townsend, a political commentator and former Democratic strategist; Michael Steele, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee; and Alicia Menendez, an anchor on the network.

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“Ms. Reid (pictured) said in a statement that she was proud of the work she and her team accomplished during her time at MSNBC, including coverage of Kamala Harris’s campaign for president, interviewing Brittney Griner on her ordeal in Russia and covering the police killings of Black Americans,” Mullin reported.

“ ‘We supported and defended real history, the 1619 Project, diversity, equity and inclusion and access to books for our children and students,” Ms. Reid said in her statement. ”And we did it all with a smile and a sense of humor.’ ”

Kutler said of Reid in her memo, “We thank her for her countless contributions over the years. Her work has been recognized with several esteemed honors, including most recently, the 2025 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding News Series.”

Mullin continued, “The network’s leaders made the change primarily because they thought the viewership figures for Ms. Reid’s show were underwhelming, according to two people with knowledge of the decision. So far this year, Ms. Reid’s program has lagged far behind ‘The Ingraham Angle,’ the rival show on Fox News, in total viewership at that hour. But during that period, it has outperformed a rival program on CNN, ‘Erin Burnett OutFront’ in total viewership. Both shows on Fox and CNN have outperformed Ms. Reid’s program in the key advertising demographic, according to Nielsen data.”

Alex Weprin added for the Hollywood Reporter, “In conjunction with MSNBC’s spinoff from NBCUniversal, the cable channel will consolidate its production to New York and Washington D.C., with the channel opening a standalone Washington bureau, with plans to hire journalists and correspondents to stand up a new newsgathering operation.

“As a result, the channel will stop producing shows out of Miami, with José Díaz-Balart Reports and The Katie Phang Show (pictured) both ending production.”

“Díaz-Balart will continue as one of the weekend anchors for NBC Nightly News, while Phang will remain with MSNBC as a legal correspondent. As a result of the dayside changes, Ana Cabrera will expand an hour and anchor weekday Ana Cabrera Reports from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Chris Jansing will shift to anchor Chris Jansing Reports from 12 to 2 p.m. Katy Tur will add an hour to Katy Tur Reports from 2 to 4 p.m. “

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Richard Prince’s Journal-isms originates from Washington. It began in print before most of us knew what the internet was, and it would like to be referred to as a “column.” Any views expressed in the column are those of the person or organization quoted and not those of any other entity. Send tips, comments and concerns to Richard Prince at journal-isms+owner@groups.io

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