Melissa Harris-Perry: MSNBC's Newest Host

MSNBC contributor and political analyst Melissa Harris-Perry will host her own show for the network starting in February.

Harris-Perry tweeted the news on Thursday, and wrote that her new show will follow Chris Hayes' weekend program, "Up With Chris." The new show, which does not yet have a title, will air on Saturday and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The show will debut on Saturday, February 4.

Harris-Perry has been a frequent guest on MSNBC, with appearances on "The Rachel Maddow Show," Al Sharpton's "PoliticsNation," and "The Last Word With Lawrence O'Donnell." Harris-Perry has filled in for hosts Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O'Donnell.

Harris-Perry's ascension is also notable in an industry often derided for its lack of diversity. She is now one of two black women, and three black hosts anchoring programs on MSNBC.

The addition of Harris-Perry's show also marks an increase in the cable news additional scheduling changes for the network's weekend programming. "Up With Chris," which previously aired at different times on Saturdays and Sundays, will now air on both days from 8-10:00 a.m. MSNBC weekend anchor Alex Witt will expand her live news coverage on Saturdays and Sundays. "Weekends with Alex Witt" will air from 7-8:00 a.m. on Saturdays, and 12-2:00 pm. on both Saturdays and Sundays.

Harris-Perry tweeted that she will remain as a professor of political science at Tulane University, and live in New Orleans during the week. Harris-Perry is also a columnist for The Nation.

Below, see MSNBC's new lineup with the addition of Harris-Perry.

• 6-9 AM: Morning Joe

• 9-10 AM: The Daily Rundown

• 10 AM-11 AM: Jansing And Co.

• 11 AM-12 AM: Thomas Roberts

• 12 PM-1 PM: Alex Wagner

• 1-2 PM: Andrea Mitchell

• 2-3 PM: NewsNation

• 3-4 PM: Martin Bashir

• 4-5 PM: Dylan Ratigan

• 5-6 PM: Hardball with Chris Matthews

• 6-7 PM: PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton

• 7-8 PM: Hardball

• 8-9 PM: The Ed Show

• 9-10 PM: Rachel Maddow

• 10-11 PM: The Last Word

• Weekends with Alex Witt

  7-8 AM (Sat.)/12-2 PM (Sun.): Weekends With Alex Witt

• Up with Chris Hayes

  8-10 AM (Sat./Sun.): Up with Chris Hayes

• Melissa Harris-Perry

  10 AM -12 PM (Sat./Sun.): Melissa Harris-Perry

Comments

[nia122]

08:23 PM on 01/30/2012

I love it. Ms, Harris-Perry is brilliant and beautiful. By the way, Up with Chris is the new Meet the Press. His show makes David Gregory's version of MTP look like some children's show. He (Gregory) is no Tim Russert.

[miketothad]

08:09 PM on 01/10/2012

Yaaaay!
Who Dat!

[vincenyt]

11:28 AM on 01/10/2012

That is good news for MSNBC weekend viewers. Chris Hayes's show is the most intelligent, thoughtful show on television at this time. He has well rounded, insightful discussions of issues without vitriol. Meliissa H. Perry following Chris with her intelligence and professorial knowledge of the history of the country will add to help viewers understanding of the current issues affecting the world ! Good Luck to Melissa !!

[Howard53545]

05:10 AM on 01/10/2012

She is good looking and smart, but lets see if she can bring it on her own show.

[callie34677]

10:50 PM on 01/12/2012

I've seen her fill in a few times and thought she did a good job. Looking forward to seeing this.

[Myvoice12]

01:15 PM on 01/09/2012

I am glad that some of you brought up the 'jail' shows. What is that about? Who is interested? Melissa Hart-Perry is an excellent choice and she should be given those time slot(s) instead of those Dreckumentaries.

[morbius]

11:22 AM on 01/09/2012

I like Chris Hayes show... it's head and shoulders above the rest in terms of intellectual discussion and in depth point of view. Next would be Dylan Ratigans show... and that would be much better if he would abandon the endless run on sentences is framing his point of view.

[Deucejack]

01:24 AM on 01/09/2012

Gee... I wonder what her "point of view" is? lol.. What a cesspool of group-think!

[Skyhawk]

03:27 AM on 01/09/2012

What do you mean? She isn't on Fox News.

[morbius]

11:23 AM on 01/09/2012

Then go back to the "glorification of ignorance" that is Fox news.

[rascal barquecat]

03:08 PM on 01/08/2012

After watching her sit in for other hosts, was hoping they'd give her the nod. Wish they had given either Chris Matthews or Ed Shultz the weekend show and her a weeknight spot but it seems MSNBC still thinks they need to counter the FOXNews blustering blow-hards with their own. (MSNBC, honestly, no, you don't. We choose to watch hosts like Maddow because we, your target audience, actually watch and approve of more civil, rational, in-depth discussions of the issues.)

[GoDems2012]

02:36 PM on 01/08/2012

YES!!!!!!!!!!

[RSKaz]

10:05 AM on 01/08/2012

Were it not for Keith Olbermann featuring the likes of Maddow, O'Donnell, Hays, Harris-Perry, etc. on Countdown MSNBC would still have Jesse Ventura and Phil Donahue in the line up.

[Bor Zoi]

12:07 PM on 01/08/2012

That's Keith's baseball background kicking in.
He can see raw talent - just like when he was a regular contributor to minor league baseball's Baseball America.

And count me in as a "pro-Keith" Dem.

[vincenyt]

11:29 AM on 01/10/2012

God I miss Keith !! Can't get Current on my cable provider yet !

[StopTeaGOP]

12:36 AM on 01/08/2012

Glad she is on board with MSNBC, a progressive network. I only wish if they eliminated their evening shows on weekends featuring hardened criminals and gave that spot to Melissa.

[TiredOfNo]

02:43 PM on 01/08/2012

Excellent idea.........f/f
They could also get rid of Al Sharpton and give that slot to her. She really is impressive.

[AJ39]

01:34 PM on 01/07/2012

Good choice! I have been hoping she'd get her own show ever since I've watched and heard her as a guest on several MSNBC shows. Se is so much better informed, more thoughtful, and more even keeled than several of the ranting regular hosts on MSNBC.

Best of luck!

[Whoahox]

08:57 AM on 01/07/2012

It's about time. I still say she'd be ideal for the 5pm slot on weekdays. Maybe she's too busy for that, but I don't see why Matthews has to be on twice. Why not put Hayes on at 5 o'clock then?

[suec03]

01:30 PM on 01/07/2012

Because UP with Chris Hayes is a two-hour show to be savored on weekends, not half-listened to while eating dinner or on satellite radio in traffic. And Professor Harris-Perry does have a "day job" back in New Orleans (and a husband and daughter there) during the week. She will commute to New York for her weekend show, I believe, sort of the reverse of Rachel going back to Massachusetts on many weekends. When making programming schedule suggestions about MSNBC shows, always first subtract three hours to see what time the shows air in California. Out here Martin Bashir comes on at noon, Dylan at 1, Hardball at 2, Al Sharpton at 3, a repeat of Hardball at 4 for people on the west coast who can watch TV at 4, Ed at 5, Rachel at 6, Last Word at 7, and then the evening reruns start with Ed at 8, Rachel at 9, Last Word at 10, Hardball at 11, Ed at 12 and Rachel at 1 am. On Fridays there are no evening repeats, so we must watch the first airs simultaneously with east coast viewers, but three hours earlier on west coast clocks. Since MSNBC is 24 hour news channel during the week, they don't tape delay for the other time zones. They have a single feed coast to coast but they schedule repeats of featured shows for the convenience of viewers WEST of the Eastern time zone.

[Whoahox]

03:01 AM on 01/08/2012

Fair enough. I am aware that there is such a thing as an "east coast bias" in many cases. Sorry about that. Those of us in and around New York especially, tend to assume that the entire planet is set to EST. As for Fridays, I guess the jail shows are already on by the time you return from work, more or less. You know, I just don't get it. A prison documentary just doesn't strike me as the kind of programming your typical MSNBC viewer is interested in watching.

[suec03]

01:33 PM on 01/07/2012

The problem with your theory is that she is highly qualified for the position, not a token. She has put in many hours substituting and guesting on other shows, and has proved herself qualified for her own program.

[GoDems2012]

02:38 PM on 01/08/2012

Thank God your kind is dying off ever so slowly.

[bobbythompson3333]

07:48 AM on 01/07/2012

There goes her career