When David Gregory was tapped for "Meet the Press," his 6PM slot on MSNBC became open. The New York Times' Brian Stelter reports that it will be filled by David Shuster, who has been substituting for Gregory and who became Keith Olbermann's "Countdown" fill-in when Rachel Maddow was granted her own show this summer:
MSNBC is replacing one David with another on its 6 p.m. program, "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue."
The cable news channel, owned by NBC Universal, is expected to announce Monday that David Shuster, a Washington correspondent, will succeed David Gregory on the political program, people with knowledge of the move said Sunday night.
Mr. Gregory started anchoring the early evening hour, then named "Race for the White House," last March. Last week, after Mr. Gregory was named the new moderator of "Meet the Press," Mr. Shuster served as the substitute host.
"1600 Pennsylvania Avenue" covers the presidential transition and other topics. Last week, guests debated the need for a "car czar," discussed the arrest of Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois, and questioned whether President Bush would be remembered as the "worst president in history."
Shuster is perhaps most well-known for his infamous comment that the Clinton campaign had "pimped out" Chelsea Clinton, a remark which got him suspended from the network and which led the Clinton campaign to send a blistering letter to NBC News President Steve Capus. Shuster also was embroiled in an on-air fight with Joe Scarborough during the Democratic National Convention (one of many instances of MSNBC anchor infighting during that time). Most recently, Shuster was the anchor who reported the Martin Eisenstadt hoax, which MSNBC was later forced to retract.
A collection of Shuster-related links below:
MSNBC Retracts Story Sourced By Hoax Martin Eisenstadt
Shuster, McCain Flack Battle Over Palin, First Amendment
David Shuster Labors To Trump Up A Clinton Gaffe
David Shuster: "I Was Thrown Under The Bus To Pay For The Sins Of The Father"
MSNBC Reporter Begrudgingly Apologizes For Chelsea "Pimp" Comment
David Shuster: Who Is MSNBC's "Pimped Out" Reporter?