David Gregory Headlines New Show in Tucker's Timeslot

MSNBC announced a slate of changes this afternoon, leading with their new election-themed show: "Race For The White House" with David Gregory. The NBC White House correspondent has been a utility player at NBC/MSNBC for some time, regularly stepping in as a guest host — and demonstrating his range — on the "Today Show" and "Meet The Press." Gregory also took over the timeslot left vacant by Don Imus last April, temporarily stepping in to the breach before the network began trying out different hosts in that timeslot. The show will premiere on March 17th.

Also, "Live with Dan Abrams" is officially undergoing a name change to "Verdict with Dan Abrams," which will also launch on March 17th. The name change has been in the works for some time but had been on hold during the heated political primary run.

As well, NBC NewsChief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Andrea Mitchell will be anchoring MSNBC each weekday afternoon from 1-2 p.m. ET. Mitchell has regularly been seen anchoring politics-heavy MSNBC dayside coverage (often in the 12pm block); in taking over the 1-2 p.m. block she'll be permanently occupying the slot that NBC anchor Brian Williams typically takes. (Update: An MSNBC rep confirmed that Williams will still be anchoring MSNBC dayside "as his schedule permits," with no set timeslot.)

Finally, fear not for the fate of poor usurped Tucker Carlson— he remains with the network as Senior Campaign Correspondent and will continue to be sprinkled throughout the schedule as a panelist and contributor.

Other program notes from MSNBC includes trying out something new with programming in the later evening hours, reshuffling its "Doc Block" programming which has been running from 10-12 before rerunning "Countdown with Keith Olbermann." Now, Olbermann, which airs live at 8 pm, will re-run at 10 pm and the "Doc Block" will run from 11pm - 2 am. "Hardball" typically re-runs at 3a.m. and Dan Abrams' show at 4 a.m. before kicking off live programming with MSNBC First Look at 5 a.m.; details on what will occupy the now-freed-up 2.am. hour to follow. Update: And the winner is..."Countdown," with yet another re-airing. So that's three "Countdowns" per day on MSNBC.

The full press release is below.

Related:
David Gregory, NBC Utility Player [ETP]

- THE PLACE FOR POLITICS - EXPANDS POLITICAL PROGRAMMING WITH "RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE WITH DAVID GREGORY" PREMIERING MARCH 17

"Countdown with Keith Olbermann" to Re-Air at 10pm and 2am ET

"Verdict with Dan Abrams" Launches March 17

Andrea Mitchell to Anchor Weekdays 1-2 pm; "Doc Block" Expands to 11pm-2am

NEW YORK - March 10, 2008 - MSNBC, the Place for Politics, is expanding its already substantial political programming lineup next week as the 2008 presidential race continues to heat up. NBC News Chief White House Correspondent David Gregory will anchor "Race for the White House," a fast-paced daily look at the latest election news, weekdays, 6-7 p.m. ET on MSNBC. "Race for the White House" premieres Monday, March 17, and will continue through the election and beyond as the nation's focus continues on the historic Presidential campaign. Also bolstering MSNBC's political coverage, NBC News' Andrea Mitchell will anchor MSNBC each weekday afternoon, 1-2 p.m. ET

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MSNBC's top-rated "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" will now telecast twice in primetime, with a re-air weeknights at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. "Countdown" will also air weeknights at 11 p.m. PT/2 a.m. ET; the original telecast remains at 8 p.m. ET. MSNBC is also expanding the "doc block," which will now telecast weeknights, 11 p.m.-2 a.m. ET/8 p.m.-11 p.m. PT.

Also March 17, "Live with Dan Abrams" re-launches as "Verdict with Dan Abrams," an hour-long look at the day's news from a legal perspective, and expands to five nights a week. Each day "Verdict" will assess right from wrong and determine the winners and losers in politics, law and pop culture. In this political season, Abrams will continue to use his legal eye to stay "On Their Trail" separating fact from fiction, identifying and exposing the candidate's biggest misstatements, cheap shots and blunders, while continuing viewer-favorite segments "Beat the Press" and "Winners and Losers." "Verdict" will telecast weekdays, 9-10 p.m. ET.

"Race for the White House with David Gregory" will feature reports from MSNBC and NBC News correspondents around the country with the latest breaking political news and in-depth analysis of the campaigns. Tucker Carlson will remain with the network as MSNBC Senior Campaign Correspondent and will appear regularly throughout MSNBC's program lineup.

"Viewers are incredibly engaged this election season, with a real appetite for political news," said Phil Griffin, Senior Vice President, NBC News and Executive in Charge of MSNBC. "As NBC News' Chief White House Correspondent, David is the perfect person to lead this key hour of our election coverage. Tucker is one of the top political minds inside the Beltway, and we look forward to continuing to feature his insightful analysis."

Gregory has led the network's coverage of the Bush presidency since 2000, reporting regularly on "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams," "Today," MSNBC and on MSNBC.com. He has circled the globe, traveling with President Bush on every major foreign trip and to nearly every state in the nation during the presidential campaigns of 2000 and 2004.

In the fall of 2005, Gregory began substituting regularly for Matt Lauer on "Today." He has served as substitute moderator on "Meet the Press," and has been a substitute anchor for the weekend editions of "Nightly News" and "Today." As a political commentator, Gregory is a frequent contributor on "Meet the Press" and the syndicated "Chris Matthews" show.

Andrea Mitchell is the Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent for NBC News, a position she has held since November 1994. Mitchell has also covered Sen. Clinton's presidential campaign, the 2004 presidential campaign for NBC News and is a regular panelist on MSNBC's "Hardball."

Built on the worldwide resources of NBC News, MSNBC defines news for the next generation with world-class reporting and a full schedule of live news coverage, political analysis and award-winning documentary programming -- 24 hours a day, seven days a week. MSNBC's home on the Internet is msnbc.com. Msnbc.com delivers a fuller spectrum of news. Drawing on its award-winning original journalism, NBC News heritage, trusted sources and Microsoft's advanced technologies, the site presents compelling, diverse and visually-engaging stories on the consumer's platform of choice. Nielsen Online reports more than 35 million unique visitors for January 2008, making msnbc.com the number one TV news site, ahead of ABC, CBS, and Fox News combined.

Members of the media can get more information about MSNBC and its programming on msnbc.com or the NBC Universal Media Village Web site at www.nbcumv.com.

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Comments

[gettysburg]

I remember Gregory yukking it up with Imus once or twice a week. Then when it became fashionable to bail ship, he was one of the first to jump ship on the I-Man. I lost all respect for him then. He's a big brown noser who won't exactly help in any ratings war. I won't be watching. Now or ever.

[Vixen0932]

David Greogory is the best plus he dances!!! (see Good Morning America and Mary J. Blidge)

[ribe8g]

I don't care for Gregory at all. Kind of a suck-up to the powerful crooks in d.c. now.
The picture of him chosen for this article couldn't please me more....bl­ah blah blah, you can read his lips.

[BeefitswhatsforDinner]

Comrade Fidel Castro is available to fill the job for all you freedom hating commi's that watch the most boring channel on television. Sorry your hero Che Guevara is to busy shoveling coal in hell to fill the spot.

[felixrandom]

this all goes back to rupert murdock emperor of all media. if you're still watching tv you're the sucker. besides you can get the simpsons on dvd if you want to get closer to something real. all the professionals have been discredited, fired, or otherwise successfully marginalized. that leaves us with idiots. watch them breeding more idiots. if you're already homeless you know what i mean. if not you'll get there.

[clbrune]

At least they didn't go dumber than Carlson. I would have expected them to hire Ann Coulter or something.

I'd like to say something nice about Gregory, but I just remember him doing the White House beat, and doing absolutely nothing significant with it.

Just another empty reporter?

[carex]

To refresh your memory....­....About a year and a half ago David Gregory got in a big dust up with Tony Snow.

This is one of the few reporters of substance and NBC has him doing cooking segments on the Today Show.

Congratulations Mr. Gregory...­........we await great reporting from you, please don't disapoint!

[JonHII]

Thank God!

National news has no room for reporters of any particular ideaology to anchor shows. The reason why things that have happened is "reporters" having more affinity for the subject of the story than for the truth.

Not to mention that "TV News". apparently places more emphasis on visual appeal than intelligence. If you created a brain from the entire midday news staff the resultant human would still have less the intelligence of Hillary Rosen and Rachel Maddow.

If Steve Capas is planning to make good on his promise of "maintaining NBC/MSNBC's" place in the legend of TV news he must review the "performance" of people like Joe Scarboro, Mika Brezezinski and the whole "Smart-aleck, everthings a joke" news format.

I sincerely hope David gets hardnosed with the pundits and "poll-experts"

All in all (so far) a smart move

[philipwitak]

i should have read further before i wrote - seems almost everybody has alluded to gregory's 'dancing.' sorry to be such a bore.

[realpolitic]

That is O.K., but please be much more careful in the future. And in the meantime do some penance. Listen to two Bush speeches and you will be forgiven.

[stepintothelight]

Suck move MSNBC. This guy has his nose shoved so far up the a$$ of the Washington elite that he can't smell the crap that comes out of his mouth. He actually looks in pain when he is on a panel discussing the losers the Clintons are. He always finds a "good" point on Shillarys antics. Well ... at least we still have Keith. I'm not sure about Rachel. She is way to smart for that bunch at MSNBC and I think she is showing a little to much "girl power" logic lately in trying to bring balance to a very lopsided dynamic.

[ChimpmasterDJ]

Maybe he can invite Karl Rove on the show to break dance with him.

I hope he gets canceled due to "lack of interest" and they give it to Rachel Maddow.

[racom]

I would like to second that, what the hell, I'll third it too.

[kroses98]

Look how long it took them to get rid of Carlson! And Scarborough is still there, despite my frequent e-mails regarding his incompetency and idiocy, and I'm sure other peoples' as well!

[BWonka]

Poor Tucker - can't dance, no show, and even without the bowties, STILL looks like a geek.

[WestofLosAngeles]

Tucker will run out the clock at MSNBC, switch to Fox, and Rachel Maddow should take over the Drooling Chris Matthews 'Hardball" farce.

MSNBC should look into ressurecting Jerry Nackman from the grave...th­ey need help over there.

[Alablanca]

AGREE - CHRIS MATTHEWS TALKS TOO MUCH - IT'S ALSO SHRILL - DOES NOT GIVE A CHANCE TO OTHERS TO RESPOND TO HIS QUESTIONS. HE ANSWERS HIS OWN QUESTIONS. WE CAN DO WITH SOMEONE ELSE ALSO. GIVE RACHEL MADDOW A HIGH PROFILE JOB. SHE'S GREAT~!

[ckdogs]

I am a Dem, but I love Tucker's show. I think it's a mistake to "reschedule" him. He's too witty and clever for Fox. Gregory is okay - but no sparkle. Chris is my favorite - he doesn't let politicos get away with BS. He forces them to answer questions. He is the one I watch with the most regularity. He should have have the job for life.

[bison1]

keep both-- Chris and Rachel . Put Tucker back at the late hour and take that other mess off the air.

[nunzia]

Oh f'crissake, another white male.
That should be rilly rilly interesting.

[jessied44]

More of the MSNBC Frat Boys Media Club. It would kill them to have a commentator with a brain? Maddow has been a breath of fresh air on the rare occasions she appears. Apparently if a woman wants to work there she needs high heeled boots and has to take gush and giggle lessons.

[ErinG]

Great choice! David Gregory is an outstanding journalist.

[brwnizofmine]

I like David, he's more fair and balanced.

[CheshireCat2]

Damn, but that was classy! I am not voting for either one of these guys, but if I were Barack would have my vote in a heartbeat. He did a great job with that response by making light of it, but I did notice his jaw get a bit tight when he first started as in, "The nerve of these people."

[realitybase]

It's time MSNBC gives the highly intelligent Rachael Maddow a slot.