MSNBC has canceled three shows, "The Cycle," "Now with Alex Wagner" and "The Ed Show," ahead of a new effort to shift its daytime lineup away from opinion programming and concentrate more on breaking news, according to the Huffington Post. MSNBC president Phil Griffin says that the move is to "build a new daytime lineup with the best live, breaking news coverage on television."
Alex Wagner and Ari Melber, MSNBC's chief legal correspondent, are to remain with the network, while Ed Schultz, host of "The Ed Show," is leaving the network, reports Politico. Abby Huntsman, Krystal Ball and Toure of "The Cycle" will also be leaving the network. Schultz has the longest history at MSNBC, according to Yahoo! News.
In September, MSNBC will add a 5 p.m. program hosted by "Meet The Press" moderator Chuck Todd, while Brian Williams, the former NBC "Nightly News" anchor, will serve as the network's breaking news and special reports anchor.
NBC News President Andrew Lack wants there to be a greater integration between sister networks NBC and MSNBC like when the channel was founded in 1996. The changes are also an effort to correct steep ratings declines, which have plagued the network for years.
