MSNBC host Chris Hayes will soon see his 8 p.m. time slot turn to dust, reports Politico.
As ratings have been tanking ever since they moved him from weekends to primetime, something had to give. Plus, his Ferguson coverage was atrocious and awkward. He did get rocks thrown at him, so that was something. Rumors have been swirling for months, but this is the most definite report to date.
Politico‘s story is notably heavy on praise for “Morning Joe” and “The Rachel Maddow Show.” As most everyone knows, “Morning Joe” is a show on which Politico reporters and editors often appear. What’s more, co-host Joe Scarborough is a columnist at Politico. So the whole thing is just a little cozy.
Still, the report is defiant: Changes are going to happen. Cancellations are imminent.
Specifically, Hayes’ “All In” will “almost certainly” be replaced. No word on whether he stays with the network, but if Ronan Farrow stays after his ridiculous show got canned, the probability is high. Al Sharpton, clearly an activist journalist, may move to weekends. The story refers to him as a “walking conflict.” Ed Schultz is hilariously “unpalatable.” He may also be tossed into a weekend slot. If the anonymous-sourced insider-y reporting is to be believed, which is really the only way a media reporter can get these types of stories, Chris Matthews survives. So does Lawrence O’Donnell.
After two large graphs of seriously daunting (read: almost gagworthy) compliments for “Morning Joe,” reporter Dylan Byers does add this disclaimer: “(POLITICO reporters and editors are frequent guests on “Morning Joe” and other MSNBC programs).”
Hey, at least he acknowledged it.