MSNBC Moves Al Sharpton To Sunday Mornings

MSNBC’s 6 PM weeknight timeslot just opened up: Al Sharpton’s Politics Nation is moving to 8 AM Sundays.

While Sharpton tweeted….

….MSNBC chief Phil Griffin staff-memo-ed the news:

Team,

After four terrific years – or as Reverend Sharpton said, “a full first term” – PoliticsNation is ready for its next chapter. Beginning on Sunday, October 4, the show will move to Sunday mornings at 8:00am.

I want to congratulate Al and his team. For four years they have done a terrific job bringing his voice and a big spotlight to issues of justice, civil rights and equality. And as many of you know, The Rev never missed a show. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do with a Sunday morning newsmaker program.

The last weekday edition of PoliticsNation will air next Friday, September 4. After Labor Day, the 6pm hour will temporarily shift to MSNBC Live’s breaking news coverage – and soon after that we will share our plans for a new 6pm show.

Please join me in thanking Reverend Sharpton and the Politics Nation team for their hard work over the past four years as we look forward to the new Sunday program.

The announcement comes about a month after Griffin announced his cable news net’s 3-6 PM weekday lineup also was toast, including The Cycle, Now With Alex Wagner and The Ed Show.

Griffin also confirmed back then, in a Change Can Be Hard memo to staff, that Chuck Todd would return to the cable news network to host the 5 PM slot while continuing to host NBC broadcast network’s Sunday Beltway show.

That announcement had followed by a several days NBC News Group chairman Andy Lack’s meeting with staff, in which he did not spell out details of the role to be played by Brian Williams. On June 18, Lack had announced that when Williams’ six-month suspension ends he would return to NBC but would be assigned to MSNBC rather than the anchor chair at NBC Nightly News.