The chatter that Inside Edition host Deborah Norville would be joining MSNBC is apparently accurate.
Norville, also a veteran of CBS News and NBC News, is reported to have signed on to anchor a 9 p.m. EST newscast for the cable news channel. MSNBC, however, would not comment.
The news network is desperate to build a strong show in the time slot to compete with CNN’s top show, Larry King Live, and Fox News Channel’s highly rated Hannity & Colmes.
MSNBC had been running Buchanan & Press, hosted by Pat Buchanan and Bill Press, in the 9 p.m. slot but recently tossed out that show. As a short-term solution, The Abrams Report, hosted by legal ace Dan Abrams and airing at 6 p.m., has been rerun at 9 p.m. until Norville’s new show comes on.
MSNBC exec Bruce Perlmutter, who had been the executive producer for Connie Chung’s show on CNN, will be the top exec on the new program.
