It's turning out that two nightly programs currently carried on CNBC and
MSNBC will become exclusive to one network or the other come mid-July.
As announced last week, The News with Brian Williams was expected to
move to CNBC sometime this summer. What wasn't made public at the time was the
date of the switch or the fact that Hardball with Chris Matthews will
move exclusively to MSNBC July 15.
Moreover, three CNBC series will move into primetime when the switch
happens.
On July 15, The News will become a twice-nightly attraction on the
channel -- live at 7 p.m. and staying taped/updated in its current 10 p.m. CNBC
slot.
That night, CNBC's current 7 p.m. occupants -- Market Week with Maria
Bartiromo (Mondays), Capital Report (Tuesdays through Thursdays) and
The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board with Stuart Varney (Fridays) --
will move to 9 p.m., bumping Hardball off the lineup.
As for Hardball, its exact scheduling remains in flux. The show will
air on MSNBC July 15 at 7 p.m. if Phil Donahue' s new talk show isn't ready to
air that night. Should Donahue's talker bow that evening or earlier,
Hardball will run at 9 p.m. on MSNBC.
In a prepared statement, CNBC president and CEO Pamela Thomas-Graham called
the situation 'the ideal opportunity to expand our signature business and
economic expertise into primetime.'
To that end, Williams' show will feature more economic stories, along with
business CEO profiles and one-one-one interviews, the anchor noted last
week.
CNBC set the exclusivity date for The News Monday afternoon, nearly
one week after parent NBC signed Williams to continue anchoring the weeknight
news hour and to ultimately succeed Tom Brokaw as NBC Nightly News anchor
in December 2004.
