In surprise move, MSNBC weekday anchor moves to weekends

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As rumblings of a weekend shakeup have been circulating for months, MSNBC has settled on a new lineup, reported Page Six.

• The surprise move is Ali Velshi, who anchors a weekday “MSNBC Live” block at 3 p.m. eastern, who is moving to weekends to host a two hour block on Saturday and Sunday from 8 to 10 a.m.
• This block will lead into “AM Joy,” the network’s top rated weekend show.
• Velshi will displace David Gura, who will anchor “MSNBC Live” from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturdays.
• Recent hire Alicia Menendez will host two hourlong shows — one at 4 p.m. on both weekend days and another a 6 p.m. Saturdays only.
• Another recent hire, Lindsey Reiser, will also anchor “MSNBC Live.”
• The changes take effect after the new year.
• Alex Witt, Al Sharpton, Kasie Hunt, Richard Lui, Kendis Gibson are staying put.
• Velshi, who splits his time between New York and Philadelphia where he teaches at Wharton, will also appear as a fill in anchor on weekdays — presumably as his schedule allows — the network said.
• Velshi also anchors a 1 p.m. block with Stephanie Ruhle, which is known as “Velshi and Ruhle” as well as “MSNBC Live with Velshi and Ruhle.”
• That block, along with 3 p.m., will feature a rotating series of fill in anchors until additional programming updates are announced in the new year.
• The one wildcard is another recent MSNBC hire — former NPR host Jacob Johnson, whose role at MSNBC has not been specified.
• It’s worth noting that announcement of Johnson’s hire, unlike Menendez and Reiser’s, did not include any reference to a weekend assignment, so it’s possible he could take Velshi’s place on one or both of his current shows.
• Velshi and Ruhle were originally teamed for a weekly show with the “Velshi and Ruhle” name before both moved to weekday shifts.
• Ruhle also anchors her own block on MSNBC at 9 a.m. as well as co-anchors the 1 p.m. block Velshi is vacating.