Rachel Maddow Replacing Dan Abrams On MSNBC Effective Immediately

Read about Dan Abrams' new media strategy firm here.

Update: Keith Olbermann had Rachel Maddow on "Countdown" Tuesday night to celebrate and discuss the news. In the clip, Rachel said that the show will discuss politics and weird news — like stories on the Iraqi national soccer team and domestic crimes committed by naked men — and that she will remain on Air America.

Watch below:

Original Post: Rachel Maddow will replace Dan Abrams as host of the 9PM hour on MSNBC, the New York Times' Bill Carter reports. Just last month in a Times article by Jacques Steinberg, MSNBC president Phil Griffin declared Maddow "at the top" of a "very short list" for those who should have their own show, though at the time he said he "[didn't] know when" that would be. As Carter reports, the final stretch of the 2008 election season will be Maddow's debut as the host of her own MSNBC show:

Just in time for the closing rush of the presidential election, MSNBC is shaking up its prime-time programming lineup, removing the long-time host -- and one-time general manager of the network -- Dan Abrams from his 9 p.m. program and replacing him with Rachel Maddow, who has emerged as a favored political commentator for the all-news cable channel.

The moves, which were confirmed by MSNBC executives Tuesday, are expected to be finalized by Wednesday, with Mr. Abrams's last program on Thursday. After MSNBC's extensive coverage of the two political conventions during the next two weeks, Ms. Maddow will begin her program on Sept. 8.

MSNBC is highlighting the date, 9/8/08, connecting it to the start of the Olympics on 8/8/08, as a way to signal what the network's president, Phil Griffin, said "will be the final leg of the political race this year." He added, "We making that Rachel's debut."

Mr. Abrams, who is well liked at MSNBC, is expected to remain at both that network and at NBC News, where he is the chief legal correspondent. He will also serve as an anchor during some of MSNBC's daytime coverage, as well as a substitute host on NBC's "Today" show, Mr. Griffin said.

The last broadcast of Abrams' "Verdict" will air Thursday.

Abrams, the network's former General Manager, told the Times that he understood the decision.

"Putting my general manager's hat back on, considering where the network is right now, it is actually the right call," he said.

Almost immediately, Keith Olbermann took to DailyKos to celebrate the news, brag about his involvement in the decision — "Yes, I had something to do with it," he wrote — and remind readers that though Maddow's rise at the network was quick ("less than five months between first paid appearance and own show"), his was quicker ("I believe I still hold the MSNBC record: I came back to guest host for three days in 2003 and 39 days later I had a contract to do the 8 PM show.").

Comments

[JonG345]

Repeat after me

Obama:

Right about Iraq.

Right about Afghanistan.

Right for America.

[strifeknot]

Your spam has nothing to do with this news item.

[americanalien]

Repeat after me

McCain:

Wrong about invading Iraq

Wrong about Afghanistan (doesn't even know the border)

Totally Wrong for America.

[Yasir]

Is this topic about civil liberty and rights for every property, or puberty of QWERTY?

[cmp]

I love Rachel. Like Olberman, she has a serious brain. Can't wait for her show. But I really liked Abrams too. Even though he essentially repeats Hardball and Countdown, he does it in a funny way that always gets a laugh out of me. I'm gonna miss him .

[useyourbrain]

Rachel is great and always has been, but PLEASE, what's with the make-up. I've always thought she was very attractive but they have her so made up -- she looks like she's in drag. Get rid of the heavy make-up.

[JLee]

Seriously. Let her be herself if she's to really blossom as a TV personality. And those two-piece skirt suits are just not made for her body type. I really hope she gets to call the shots, at a minimum, on what she wears now that she has her own show.

[americanalien]

I like Abrams but he was too run of the mills. His personality was too average to keep people tuned in for long. Rachel is they needed to spice things up. Can't wait for her show!

[satyr9us]

Update: Effective immediately? Wha?

I'm a fan of HuffPo, a fan of Olbermann, and a fan of Maddow too-- but this article (especially the headline) is fanboy nonsense. Her show starts in September. The fact that she appeared on Olbermann to announce the show does not mean that the start date changes-- it simply means that she announced the show. I mean, she underlined the fact that the show starts in September, on her grandmother's birthday, when she announced.

What is going on with your headline writers? What do you gain by being wrong?

[americanalien]

C'mon it's the hype before the show. Don't you know anything about ratings. It's a very smart strategy. Kudos to Keith and HuffPost.

[mgray34]

Doesn't surprise me in the least. Ms. Maddow's balanced, and common sense approach to politics has been a breath of fresh air. Her and Keith Olberman have been the voices that have kept the MSM honest. If it wasn't for those two and Dan Abrams, on MSNBC, a large number of McCain's gaffes would not be known to the public. Great job Ms. Maddow, and may I also add, you are a hottie. That intellect of yours makes me break out in cold sweats : )

[LAcarlito]

Hooray for Rachel. I will set my TiVo to another program!

Must watch!

[evgolightly]

A PHD from Oxford gets her own show on MSNBC!

Wonder how well she'll do against the intellectual giants on Fox?

[waverly]

I'm so happy for Rachel and cannot believe the "big news event" this has become. I think Hannity and Fox News are sweating now with Rachel opposite him.

Great job MSNBC!!! Let's hope her ratings soar.

[Womanvoter4Obama]

I'm glad Rachel FINALLY got her own show she is most certainly deserving. And it is not HER fault the powers that be have decided to get rid of Abrams. That's really between him and MSNBC. It's like any other company that lets someone go..it may not have anything at all do with their performance but just a new direction..I know Dan will land on his feet. And how does Keith advocating for Rachel affect Abrams job? They may not have known that Dan would be sacrificed or perhaps Dan's contract was up..and when the contract is up BOTH sides have the option to renew..and MSNBC choose not to.

[SlappHappy]

Abrams gave up his GM post at MSNBC to do Verdict. He was repayed by this little power play by Keith Olbermann. Olbermann is showing around Maddow like she's his trophy: "See how much power I have!" He made her come on Coutndown and say that Keith got her the job. Pretty tacky!

[LAcarlito]

Please.

Abrams show was lacking in substance. All he did was nit-pick news every day. He did nothing of substance about the candidates. Abrams was much more talented thanthe show he put on. rachel is a woman of greater substance and will be quality program to her daily effort.

Taking shots at Olbermann about this is just silly.

[StateofTaxes]

Very disappointed if this is true, and guess it must be; in fact, have lived and breathed MSNBC since 9-11, one TV in my house ran it on mute as long as I was in the house. Have gotton to know all the anchors on a first name basis, and had coffee with Joe and the gang in the morning for as long as I could watch for the day, but always came back later to watch Tucker(I miss him, and liked his show), and then Chris, Olbermann and then Abrams( I liked watching his show, because you can only watch so much Politics, without a break...
and a little foolishness and a laugh or two. However, since I am not really into the Olimpics, and that's all they have been running, have had a chance to veer off, and have begun to find other programs, YES, even Fox in the Morning, for a short time, is beginning to sound a little better to wake up to than 3 hours of : "Blah,Blah, etc."..., and now a break with Dan is being pulled too?(I l like Maddow okay as a panelist, but for an hour; seems like just more of the same to me. MSNBC, is Olbermann running all you're programing now~very truthfully, a little bit of Keith goes a long way....

[gwinegarden]

Did you watch? He said he did NOT get her the job. in truth he probably did, but he di not take any credit.

[SlappHappy]

So Dan Abrams is stabbed in the back by Keith Olbermann and the Divine Ms. M, Rachel Maddow! Abrams does a great job going after Karl Rove on the Don Siegelman case, helps get Siegelman out of jail, and THIS is his reward? What kind of message does that send?: he gets replaced by Keith Olbermann's sockpuppet! Any fans of Abrams who agree with me can write to

[e-mail]

to tell him how you feel about Verdict being dropped.

[erdanidi]

How many times have you commented on this post? Christ! Get over it.

[esgabel]

My thoughts exactly!!!

[nicholasclaxton]

Love Maddow but wish they'd Keep Verdict with Abrams on....Stick David Gregory's show in the can along with that smirky fake smile he always has!

[Obibrenner]

Hear Hear. Gregory's show has no direction, his only guests are other MSNBC hacks, and Gregory can't help but show his lack of support for dems or liberals. If he's a dem or liberal, he is bending over backwards so far that he is kissing his own ass to satisfy the right. Dan on the other hand covers both legal and current events. He's not afraid to let his personal views on legal cases.

[ncwoodland]

Excuse me? MSNBC is the "all news cable network"? Surely you jest. The trash they present in some primetime areas, sickening programs re prisons, pederasts, etc., could hardly be referred to as news. Now, they've made a move to put in a knowledgable person such as Maddow. Good for them! Now sweep out the trashy shows and get on some real news. Now, let's have some in-depth reporting of news, rather than the latest "breaking news."

[DMM1029]

Dan was not at all a bad host. She should have replaced that slime ball, Matthews.

[ilovemydoggy]

Very smart woman. Good luck to her.

Baby boomer views, go here: http://www.Vaboomer.com

[JohnShank]

I would like someone who could give, honest, even-handed reportage. I like Rachel. I like Keith. I like Bill and Sean too. All in small, small doses. That having been said, "Worst Persons" is a terrific aspect of Olbermann's show. I try not to miss that.

I wish however, that MSNBC would try not to be the left's answer to Fox. They will look more and more clownish if they do. Heck, just look at Fox. In the days and months after 9/11, people tuned into Fox by the dozens because they are knee-jerk, right-wing, flag-wavin' psuedo-patriots! Now they look anachranistic to many watchers. People have started to tune into MSNBC, understandably, as an antidote to Fox, and the administration that fed Fox. Yet no cable channel is giving truly unbiased information. Olbermann hates McCain so much he did a special comment about him that was waaaaay below par and unconvincing. Fox hates Obama so much they did a special on him that was so out of whack it didn't even pass the laugh test. It too was unconvincing. I would like just the facts ma'am, just the facts. Perhaps too much to ask?