On Thursday, it was announced that MSNBC contributor and political analyst Melissa Harris-Perry will be hosting her own show for the network starting on Saturday, February 4th. The new show, which hasn't been titled yet, will air on Saturday and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m (following Up w/ Chris Hayes) . You can read more about her upcoming show here.
Harris-Perry, who also serves as a professor of political science at Tulane University, has been a frequent guest on MSNBC, with appearances on several of their programs. She has also filled in for hosts Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O'Donnell. Her busy schedule also includes writing for The Nation.
As we often do, this past weekend me and my brother-in-law were talking about politics, the media, etc. I was telling him about the excellent job Harris-Perry has done filling in for Maddow and O'Donnell, adding that I felt MSNBC should give her a shot at hosting her own show. In fact, he's the one who sent me the news that Harris-Perry will be the network's newest addition.
Although I'm an MSNBC fan (aren't you shocked?!), I have also been critical of them (in particular, their programming lineup on the weekends). At the very least, the addition of Harris-Perry to their weekend lineup means 4 hours less of Lockup documentaries!
Congratulations to Melissa Harris-Perry. Her promotion to regular MSNBC host is a well-deserved one.
Below is a clip of Harris-Perry filling in for Maddow back in 2011:
17 comments:
I hope she has good ratings.
I'm not much on MSNBC's brand of 100 vs. 1 coverage of current events, but I don't want the network to go away. I actually like the docos and the Catch a Predator series and whatnot late at night. But if they can't start pulling in more ratings, Comcast might ditch news entirely and run reality show reruns.
And as much as I would like that to be a dig at the network, it's really not. Whatever they're doing over there, they're not doing it very well.
As a person whose job involves massive amounts of research and reading, I really prefer to watch my news in my free time. I'd like to know MSNBC is still around if I'm ever channel surfing.
I was very excited to hear about MHP's new show. I have been telling everyone I know to watch "Up with Chris Hayes" because I think it is one of the most intelligent shows on TV right now. I do DVR it though, I'm a late night person and that is far TOO early for me. Now I get to DVR 2 weekend shows.
I saw her first night hosting for Rachel Maddow and she was a pro. I've been following her on twitter for years and reading her Nation pieces, I can not wait!
Good for MHP! Always enjoyed her reporting and think she comes across as knowledgeable and pleasant.
Al Sharpton? Not so much. From a purely watchable standpoint, his voice is gratingly unpleasant, and he often trips over his own words, mispronouncing them or using wrong words. As a guest, he's good, as a host, he isn't. I don't watch him.
I look forward to watching Melissa.
Love her! I follow her on Twitter, and I wish her success.
I had stopped watching TV news completely until Rachel Maddow was hired. Now, I'm a faithful viewer. I have to record Up w/Chris Hayes, too, because I'm definitely not awake that early, if I can possibly help it.
Shaw: I had a love/hate relationship with Al Sharpton. I liked what he was doing, most of the time, I just got the feeling he was in it for himself...then I started listening to his radio show and hearing all the people he had helped or were asking for his help, and I softened to him.
I love his show, but he has a definite teleprompter reading problem. He is so much better on the radio and off the prompter. He will get better, and having his voice on TV every day is not only remarkable, but needed.
I am very pleased with MSNBC right now, I just don't watch during the day. ;)
Josh: "100 vs. 1 coverage of current events"? Please explain.
The ratings situation for MSNBC may not be as dire as you think:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/2011-ratings-year-end-msnbc-cnn-fox-news-275415
Mary: I totally agree with you about "Up w/ Chris Hayes". I'm a little surprised at how much I enjoy the show. Although I liked his work as an MSNBC contributor before he got his own show, I thought he was only so-so when he filled in for people like Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann.
The format for "Up w/ Chris Hayes" is a good fit for him and he does an excellent job of being informative, entertaining, and fair. I now find myself either skipping "Meet the Press" entirely or watching it at a later time in favor of "Up w/ Chris Hayes".
As for MHP, I can't wait to see what she does with her upcoming show. When she filled in for Rachel at the end of 2011, she did an excellent segment on Republicans who want to "take their country back". I wish I could find it online because I would have included it here. I'll keep searching though.
Shaw: I was pleasantly surprised when I learned MHP would be MSNBC's newest host. I was surprised because I didn't think she'd be able to fit a regular show into her already busy schedule.
Although I enjoy "Politics Nation with Al Sharpton" and watch it regularly, I can't argue with your criticisms of his on-air style. I think Al has gotten better, but he'll probably never have the polish of some TV personalities.
By the way, did you see the hilarious SNL skit in which Kenan Thompson played Al Sharpton? Al even played it on his show and made light of his on-air miscues.
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/hl-60013736/saturday_night_live_politics_nation_with_al_sharpton_season_37/
Judi: I can't remember when I started following her on Twitter, but I will make it a point to check out her tweets on a more regular basis.
I was turned onto Rachel Maddow after reading an article about the show in Entertainment Weekly shortly after it debuted. I've been a fan of her work since.
Melissa will be a welcome addition to the weekend line up, so excited! I hope that means Alex Whitt will go into the afternoon so we have all day news instead of the dreaded Lock Up!
As for the MSNBC ratings, they would improve if ALL hotels, motels, hospitals, airports, etc etc would switch from Fox to MSNBC! This is why Fox looks like it has higher ratings when in fact nobody is watching that channel, it just runs 24/7!
And I'd also like to ad, I love Al Sharpton's show. You should give it another chance Shaw, he will grow on you! He is terrible on the teleprompter but his heart is big and his debates are heated, which makes for a great hour of politics!
LMAO @ why Fox has higher ratings. I've heard some theories in my day, but the blame-the-Hilton one is priceless! :D
100 vs. 1 = D vs. R
And while I do imagine it's a positive to still be getting crushed only not by as much, MSNBC = Washington Generals in the head to head battle (which is the only one that matters; neither care about CNN's bland, boring, bleak approach to news).
I'm not sure if Comcast will settle for that. Honestly. Would you? I wouldn't. But that's me - assuming I had a company of such gargantuan proportions and millions of TV viewers were using my services but not watching my news.
Sue: According to reports, "Weekends with Alex Witt" will air from 7:00 am to 8:00 am ET on Saturdays and noon to 2:00 pm on both Saturdays and Sundays once MHP's new show debuts.
Al Sharpton's show quickly became one of my favorite political programs. He keeps the conservatives/Republicans in check with a mix of seriousness and humor. I love it when he busts them on their lies/hypocrisy and then says, "Nice try, but we gotcha!"
Josh: Thanks for explaining your "100 vs. 1" comment. Knowing what your network of choice is when it comes to news, I find your assessment highly ironic.
It's funny you use the Washington Generals analogy because I use it when referring to the manner in which most liberals/Democrats are set up for failure when they appear on Fox. However, I don't think your use of it fits because MSNBC isn't designed to lose to Fox in the ratings.
If I were Comcast, I'd settle for now with the ratings gains MSNBC has made. However, I'd expect the progress to continue. As it stands, MSNBC has carved out a nice niche for itself. Will it ever catch Fox? It's not impossible. Considering that Fox has the oldest audience among the cable news outlets, it may simply be a matter of nature taking it's course. That's not intended to be cold. It's just reality.
Sorta plays into the theory that once people get over that whole young and stupid thing, they finally realize they aren't liberals. There are exceptions, obviously, but I do understand that MSNBC has the OWS ilk by the balls.
Will they always have them, or do most people really come to reality and out of the clouds as time dwindles? Time will obviously tell.
Now I can't stop whistling Sweet Georgia Brown.
Chris Matthews would make a great General, though. But he wouldn't realize the fix was in. Poor guy would be swiping for the ball every go.
Josh: So, reality=conservatism? Is that what you're saying?
Right, "poor" Chris Matthews. He was really out of his element when he destroyed such right-wing clowns as Michelle Malkin, Kevin James, and Sal Russo!
Isn't Kevin James the guy from King of Queens? I don't know the rest of them.
And that's not exactly what I'm saying. That's what you're saying. I'm saying non-liberal = closer to reality. Whack-job liberal = whimsical, irrational thinking; hypocritical loose justification to gain leverage in any forum; anti-existing ideals rather than innovation; laurel resting per elitist say-so rather than digging up dirt; circle jerk ego padding; a constant need for ideological validation; enemy creation and perpetuation for legitimacy; constant formation of paradoxical time warps--self-fulfilling prophecies using hindsight, feigning foresight--to bolster a lack of logic; etc...
This, of course, not for the average liberal folk. For the progressive wing tip zealot variety who religiously rely upon MSNBC (and similar outlets) to paint their picture for them.
(Think: 22 year old self-proclaimed communist who survives using his parents' hard-earned money and now lives in a tent to somehow prove that some people earning money is stealing his.)
They usually snap out of it once it's time to be responsible. That's assuming they don't get hired by a little tribal progressive cult. Then they're forever lost to the backward bitterness that is hardcore progressive liberalism.
But I'm sure MSNBC has 1 or 2 permanent viewers who don't fit that sweeping generalization.
3 might be pushing it! 4 is just a lie.
Josh: No, reality=conservatism isn't what I was saying. I was asking what you meant by your statement.
No, the Kevin James on "The King of Queens" is intentionally funny. The one I'm referring to is a conservative radio talk show host who was schooled by Chris Matthews.
I'm not sure how you came to your gross mischaracterization of MSNBC viewers. That's OK though; there's no need for you to explain it.
Josh: Considering that she is one of the top conservative pundits, I'm surprised you don't know Michelle Malkin. In addition to being a regular contributor on Fox, she also has written four books and is the founder of the website Hot Air.
To those who commented here that are interested, MHP's new MSNBC show has been postponed to 2/18.
I thought MSNBC was on a roll when it put Rachel Maddox and Lawrence O'Donnell back to back weeknights but that combo of Chris Hayes and Melissa Harris Perry is truly superb. This morning Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan entered the conversation on Dr. Perry's show and I actually smiled. It is so good to hear actual facts and sources quoted instead of the never ending litany of opinions based on...you never know what they are based on. Good programming with intelligent people preparing well for their shows. Thank you, MSNBC.
Anon: "Up w/ Chris Hayes" and "MHP" are two of my favorite political shows. In addition to presenting facts/sources like you said, I love the diversity of the guests and topics. One of my favorite segments was when MHP and her guests discussed "The Help". One of the guests was an actual domestic worker which I found refreshing.
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