MSNBC Sends Stephanie Ruhle to Brian Williams’ Slot As ‘Morning Joe’ Expands

variety.com:

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorMSNBC is sending a morning anchor to late night in order to expand its biggest A.M. franchise.The NBCUniversal-backed cable news outlet intends to shift Stephanie Ruhle to its late-night program, “The 11th Hour” as part of a bid to expand one of its key programs, ‘Morning Joe,” according to three people familiar with the plans.

The expected maneuvers, which MSNBC would not confirm Wednesday night, were previously reported by Axios.The moves are driven by a desire to give MSNBC viewers more of the pillars of the schedule, which at present are three hours of “Joe” and two hours of Nicolle Wallace’s late afternoon program, “Deadline: The White House.” MSNBC is working to figure out a way to replace the linchpin of its primetime lineup, “The Rachel Maddow Show,” as its host is moving on to tackle a broader content production agreement with NBCUniversal and is likely to pull back on her weekday duties.