The gulf between so-called “creator media” and mainstream TV news continues to narrow, and it’s narrowing fast.
Starting Sunday, June 28, MS NOW will eliminate live programming after 6pm on weekends, instead filling the majority of its schedule with recorded video podcasts and expanding its use of Crooked Media’s popular Saturday night show and podcasts hosted by MS NOW mainstays Nicole Wallace and Chris Hayes. MS NOW plans to expand content partnerships related to this strategy in the coming weeks, according to a memo from MS NOW president Rebecca Cutler seen by Variety.
The move will have a major impact on the network’s weekend schedule. MS NOW will discontinue its new series “The Weekend: Prime Time” from June 27th, and one of its hosts, Antonia Hilton, will anchor Saturdays and Sundays from 1pm to 4pm. Veteran anchor Alex Witt, who has appeared on the station’s newscasts since 1999, primarily on weekend afternoons, is scheduled to leave later this year. The other hosts of the prime-time weekend program, Ayman Mohieldin, Katherine Rampel and Elise Jordan, will remain on MS NOW.
The network will continue to be staffed for breaking news during weekend evening hours. Richard Louis has been on standby as the anchor during this time for many years. MS NOW also has a deal with Sky News that allows it to simulcast international coverage. MS NOW has traditionally offered recorded programming at various times on weekends, including several hours of reruns of its weekday prime-time lineup and, previously, hours of reruns of “Dateline” and the prison documentary series “Lockup.” Executives at the Versant Media-backed station expect the weekend schedule to continue to include several hours of live programming, rivaling the number and hours of live broadcasts on CNN and Fox News Channel.
Many news and entertainment outlets are turning to podcasts as part of their programming strategy, seeking help from popular creators and subject matter experts. Even premium video entertainment specialist Netflix has moved to the format, going so far as to cast former MS NOW mainstay Brian Williams in a conversational format. Pew Research data shows that younger viewers in particular perceive podcast hosts and digital influencers to be more authentic than traditional TV figures, helping them understand issues more deeply. In 2025, the organization found that about 21% of U.S. adults get their news from news influencers on social media, and 38% of adults 18 to 29 do so regularly, compared to just 8% of adults 65 and older. Licensing podcasts from third parties or leveraging podcasts already created by your current staff can also help keep costs down.
Mr. Majid, a prominent consultant in the television industry, advised some clients to start offering programming that sells context, depth and emotional security to viewers, rather than relying on breaking news and dozens of star anchors and correspondents. Advice follows the habits of the audience. More and more people are getting their first glimpse of important news stories from digital and social media.
MS NOW executives have been especially encouraged by viewer behavior related to its “Crooked on MS NOW” show, which features hand-picked clips from a series of podcasts hosted by people like Jon Lovett, Alex Wagner and Stacey Abrams, among others. Half of the show’s viewers are new to MS NOW on Saturday nights, and nearly two-thirds of viewers under 55 are also new to the network.
Many traditional media companies partner with independent journalists and creators. Fox News has a licensing deal with the head of the popular conservative podcast Ruthless, and afternoon host Will Caine pulls out a presentation that offers some of the trappings of traditional podcasts. Earlier this week, CBS News announced the launch of a new podcast led by Jill Schlesinger that focuses on personal finance. NBC News is working with Joanna Stern, a former Wall Street Journal technology journalist who launched her own venture. Meanwhile, CNN has been seen openly experimenting on-screen, putting anchors like Anderson Cooper and Jake Tapper in less formal environments that don’t necessarily mandate suit-and-tie wardrobes or presentations behind the news desk.
MS NOW may further delve into other non-traditional formats later this year, with plans to launch a new direct-to-consumer streaming service aimed at increasing the sense of community among viewers. The company plans to hire new staff for the service, two people familiar with the matter said.
The weekend shifts, which will result in job cuts, could involve less than 2% of the organization, one of the people familiar with the situation said. Affected employees are being encouraged to consider nearly 40 open positions. MS NOW may be posting more than a dozen new positions in the coming weeks. Joy Fowlin, executive producer of “The Weekend: Primetime,” will serve as executive producer of Hilton’s new weekend time slot beginning later this summer.
When Witt retires, she will take with her one of the last links to MS NOW’s early history when it was known as MSNBC and was a joint venture between NBC News and Microsoft. A person familiar with the network said Mr. Witt’s long weekend hours were a simple feat. No other program on MSNBC or MS NOW’s schedule has garnered as much or as much reliable numbers as hers. After her exit, the only person who offers a similar connection to the past is veteran anchor Chris Jansing, who continues to work as a correspondent at MS NOW.
Mr. Witt “continues to be a trusted and consistent presence for our viewers,” Mr. Kutler said in the memo, noting, among other things, his coverage of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003 and his coverage of Ground Zero after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. “We are grateful for Alex’s continued contributions to the network and will have even more opportunities to celebrate her in the coming months.”
