‘A time of soul-searching’: MSNBC staffers ‘worried’ about an uncertain future

Following the 2024 election, MSNBC reportedly experienced a dramatic decline in its primetime ratings, plummeting by 57 percent among the crucial 25-to-54 demographic after Election Day. However, in recent months, MSNBC has seen a resurgence in viewership, often surpassing its main competitor, CNN, according to a report published by Politico on Friday.

“This is, by many accounts, a time of soul searching for MSNBC,” the report said.

“Rachel Maddow, the network’s prominent and highest-rated host, has returned to the air five nights a week for the time being. Additionally, the prospect of another Donald Trump presidency appears to have reinvigorated a network cherished by those opposed to Trump,” the report noted.

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But the network is still grappling with a sense of uncertainty due to its planned split with NBC. “Still, the looming split from NBC has stirred deep uncertainty within MSNBC — not just about who stays and who goes, but about what kind of network it wants to be and whether it can survive on its own,” the report says.

“Will its future be beholden to resistance viewers, or do they want to hire nonpartisan journalists focused on scoops and beating out their soon-to-be rivals at NBC News? How they square that and resolve those competing interests will define the network’s future.”

In the last two months, the Politico reporter Lachlan Cartwright talked to over thirty MSNBC employees, high-profile talent, executives, who were not named in the report. It was found that executives celebrate what they anticipate will be a revival, but many staff members are worried. They are inquiring whether they’ll still have jobs this summer and, if so, where they will be assigned once they leave 30 Rock.

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“On the air, MSNBC continues to give viewers the blow-by-blow of Trump and the fate of democracy. Behind the scenes, staffers operate with limited information about their fates and the editorial direction of the new leadership,” the report said.