What To Know
- MS NOW is undergoing a major weekend programming overhaul, including the departure of veteran anchor Alex Witt.
- The network is canceling The Weekend: Primetime, with its final episode airing June 27, .
- Antonia Hylton will take over the 1 to 4 p.m. ET weekend slot later this summer, while current hosts of The Weekend: Primetime will remain with the network in new roles.
MS NOW’s weekend content is getting a major makeover, and the network is losing Alex Witt, a veteran anchor who has been with the network for 27 years.
Rebecca Kutler, president of MS NOW, told staffers that Witt will depart the network later this year, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Additionally, MS Now is canceling The Weekend: Primetime. That program’s last episode is scheduled for today, Saturday, June 27.
In a memo to MS NOW staff on Friday, June 26, Kutler said Witt had shared “plans to conclude her tenure with the company later this year,” following an “extraordinary career” that involved the Alex Witt Reports host “anchor[ing] more hours on MS NOW than any other anchor in our network’s history.”
Kutler added: “A beloved longtime member of our MS NOW family, Alex has been a continued, trusted, and steady presence for our audiences. She has covered multiple presidential and midterm election cycles, countless historic international events, and major breaking news moments across the country. … We thank Alex for her endless contributions to the network and will have more opportunities to celebrate her in the coming months.”
In Witt’s stead, Antonia Hylton will take over the 1 to 4 p.m. ET weekend hours near the end of the summer, Kutler said, with The Weekend: Primetime executive producer Joy Fowlin serving as EP on Hylton’s new show.
“Antonia will bring her tremendous credibility, versatility, and connection with audiences to this new role. Her work has been recognized with Peabody, Murrow, and Emmy Awards; her recent ‘Cities Under Siege’ series has been a testament to her standout reporting, and we are excited to see her continue to grow in this expanded role,” Kutler said.
Meanwhile, MS NOW plans to replace The Weekend: Primetime with taped programming and video podcasts, including the MS NOW podcasts The Best People With Nicolle Wallace and Why Is This Happening With Chris Hayes, per THR. The network is also bolstering its breaking news team so that it can still cut into the weekend programming when necessary, the outlet adds.
Ayman Mohyeldin, Catherine Rampell, and Elise Jordan, who currently host The Weekend Primetime, will stay with MS NOW “to contribute across our programming and platforms, bringing their respected reporting and distinct analysis to our audiences,” Kutler told staffers.
Alex Witt Reports, Weekends, 1/12c, MS NOW
The Weekend: Primetime, Final Episode, Saturday, June 27, 6/5c, MS NOW