By David Bauder, Media Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --MSNBC on Monday solidified its primetime lineup by appointing Alex Wagner to fill Rachel Maddow's time slot four nights a week, Tuesday through Friday.
Wagner, who has worked at CBS News, as a co-host of Showtime's "The Circus" and as an editor at The Atlantic, is on her second stint at MSNBC. She rejoined MSNBC in February after hosting a show on the network a decade ago.
Maddow will continue to work in her 9 p.m. Eastern time slot on Monday nights, MSNBC said.
"I'm honored to be anchoring a key hour of television in such a critical time for American democracy," Wagner said.
It's an important move for the liberal-leaning news network and its president, Rashida Jones. Maddow has been MSNBC's most popular personality, and her decision earlier this year to step back from a weeknight show that was a linchpin of the network's schedule was a blow.
Since she went to her Monday-only schedule, the hour has been filled with subs, but the nightly show retained her name. Occasionally, during big news weeks, Maddow has been on the air more often.
A first-generation Asian American whose mother emigrated to the U.S. from Myanmar, Wagner wrote a book about her experiences, "FutureFace: A Family Mystery, an Epic Quest and the Secret to Belonging."
Besides The Atlantic, she has also been an economics reporter for HuffPost and White House correspondent for AOL's Politics Daily. She was editor-in-chief of The Fader, a culture-oriented magazine, and was executive director of an advocacy organization that aimed to stop mass atrocities.
"Her unique perspective, built on more than two decades in journalism, and tenacious reporting in the U.S. and abroad will help our audiences contextualize what matters," Jones said.
Wagner's new show will premiere Aug. 16. A continued rotation of anchors will fill in at the 9 p.m. hour until then.
Meanwhile, CNN is still looking to fill its 9 p.m. Eastern time slot on a regular basis following the firing of Chris Cuomo.
SMPTE elects board officers, regional governors
SMPTE®,the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has revealed the board officers and regional governors who will serve terms beginning in January 2025.
Three new officers--Richard Welsh as SMPTE president, Eric Gsell as SMPTE executive VP, and Polly Hickling as SMPTE Education VP--have been elected for a two-year term from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2026. One SMPTE officer, Lisa Hobbs, will be continuing her service as SMPTE secretary and treasurer for another two-year term. Additionally, Raymond Yeung will be stepping into the role of standards VP on Jan. 1, 2025.
“SMPTE’s membership has spoken,” said SMPTE interim executive director Sally-Ann D’Amato. “These officers have been tasked with an important responsibility, one each of them is prepared to tackle head-on. These next two years are looking bright for SMPTE!”
In addition to the officers, 10 regional governors were elected by the Society to serve two-year 2025-2026 terms.
These include the following regional governors, re-elected to continue their service:
Asia-Pacific Region Governor
Tony Ngai, Society of Motion Imaging Ltd.
EMEA - Central & South America Region Governor
Fernando Bittencourt, FB Consultant
United Kingdom Region Governor
Chris Johns, Sky UK.
USA - Central Region Governor
William T. Hayes, Consultant
USA - Eastern Region Governor
Dover Jeanne Mundt, Riedel Communications
USA - Western Region Governor
Jeffrey F. Way, Open Drives
Also elected were four newcomers to the SMPTE Board:
Canada Region Governor
Jonathan Jobin, Grass Valley
USA - Hollywood Region Governor
Allan Schollnick, Voxx... Read More