MS NOW will expand weekend video podcasts, Alex Witt plans exit

The gap between so-called ‘creator media’ and mainstream TV news is closing – and fast.

Starting Sunday, June 28, MS NOW will forgo offering live hours after 6 p.m. on weekends and instead fill its schedule largely with recorded video podcasts, expanding its use of a popular Saturday evening program from Crooked Media and podcasts hosted by MS NOW mainstays Nicolle Wallace and Chris Hayes. MS NOW expects to expand its content partnerships related to the strategy in the coming weeks, according to a memo from Rebecca Kutler, MS NOW’s president, which was reviewed by Variety.

The moves will have a significant effect on the network’s weekend schedule. MS NOW will cancel its new series “The Weekend: Primetime” after June 27, and one of its hosts, Antonia Hylton, will anchor on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. Alex Witt, the veteran anchor who has largely anchored the news on weekend afternoons at the network since 1999, will leave later this year. Ayman Mohyeldin, Catherine Rampell and Elise Jordan, the other hosts of the primetime weekend program, are expected to remain with MS NOW.

The network will continue to be staffed during evening hours on weekends for breaking news. Richard Lui has been on standby as an anchor during these time slots for years. MS NOW also has a deal with Sky News that allows it to simulate international coverage. MS NOW has historically offered recorded programming at various times on weekends, including repeats of hours from its primetime lineup on weekdays, and, in previous times, hours of “Dateline” or the prison documentary series “Lockup.” Executives at the Versant Media-backed outlet expect the weekend schedule will still include hours of live weekend programming comparable to the number of live hours on CNN and Fox News Channel.

Many news and entertainment outlets are turning to podcasts as a programming strategy, bringing in popular creators and subject matter experts. Even Netflix, a specialist in premium video entertainment, has switched to the format, going so far as to address former MS NOW mainstay Brian Williams in a conversational format. Younger audiences in particular find podcast hosts and digital influencers more authentic than traditional TV staff, helping them understand issues more deeply, according to Pew Research data. The organization found in 2025 that about 21% of US adults receive news from news influencers on social media, with 38% of adults aged 18 to 29 doing so regularly – compared to just 8% of adults aged 65 or older. Licensing podcasts from a third party or using podcasts already created by current staff can also serve to keep costs down.

A well-known TV industry consultant, Magid, has advised some clients to start giving viewers programs that promote context, depth and emotional reassurance, rather than relying on breaking news and dozens of star presenters and correspondents. The advice follows the habits of the public; more people are getting the first word on major news stories from digital and social media.

Executives at MS NOW are particularly encouraged by viewer behavior related to the show “Crooked on MS NOW,” which features excerpts from a series of podcasts hosted by Jon Lovett, Alex Wagner and Stacey Abrams, among others. Half of the show’s viewers were new to MS NOW on Saturday night, while nearly two-thirds of viewers under the age of 55 were also new to the network.

Many traditional media companies are entering into alliances with independent journalists and creators. Fox News has a licensing deal with the executives of “Ruthless,” a popular conservative podcast, and afternoon host Will Cain is giving a presentation offering some of the traditional podcast trappings. CBS News revealed earlier this week the launch of a new podcast led by Jill Schlesinger focused on personal finance. NBC News is teaming up with Joanna Stern, a former Wall Street Journal technology journalist who has launched her own business. CNN, meanwhile, has experimented openly on screen, placing anchors like Anderson Cooper and Jake Tapper in less formal environments that don’t always require suit-and-tie lockers or behind-the-news desk presentations.

MS NOW could delve further into other non-traditional formats later this year, when it is scheduled to launch a new direct-to-consumer streaming service that aims to foster a sense of community among its viewers. The company is expected to hire new staff for that service, according to two people familiar with the matter.

The weekend shift will result in some staff cuts that could affect less than 2% of the organization, one of the people familiar with the situation said. Affected employees have been encouraged to explore nearly 40 open positions. MS NOW is likely to post more than a dozen new features in the coming weeks. Joy Fowlin, executive producer of “The Weekend: Primetime,” will serve as executive producer for Hylton’s new weekend hours starting later this summer.

When Witt leaves, she will take with her one of MS NOW’s last tapes of its early history, when it was known as MSNBC and a joint venture of NBC News and Microsoft. According to someone familiar with the network, Witt’s long tenure on weekends is due to a simple feat: Nothing else MSNBC or MS NOW had on the schedule drew bigger and more reliable numbers than they did. After her departure, only Chris Jansing, the veteran anchor who continues to work as a correspondent for MS NOW, will provide similar connections to the past.

Witt “is an ongoing, trusted and stable presence for our audiences,” Kutler said in her memo, which included mention of the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster and the Ground Zero coverage following the September 11 terrorist attacks. “We thank Alex for her endless contributions to the network and will have more opportunities to celebrate her in the coming months.”