MS NOW has announced a significant restructuring of its programming lineup, marking the first major schedule overhaul since its spinoff from Versant. The changes aim to boost daytime viewership, which has lagged behind primetime hours.
Alicia Menendez will move to anchor the noon-2 p.m. ET slot, while Stephanie Ruhle returns to mornings with a new programme from 9-11 a.m. ET. Ali Velshi takes over as host of The 11th Hour, continuing as chief data reporter.
Luke Russert will replace Menendez as co-host of The Weeknight, joining Symone Sanders Townsend and Michael Steele. Jacob Soboroff will fill Velshi’s weekend time slot. Morning Joe will revert to a three-hour format starting at 6 a.m. ET, with Jonathan Lemire joining as co-anchor for the 8 a.m. hour.
Ana Cabrera, who anchored in the morning block, is leaving the network. President Rebecca Kutler said in a memo that comparable opportunities would be available for most employees and that the network expects to have more staff by end of 2026.
