Thomas Roberts: MSNBC’s Latest Hire?
There’s a lot of speculation swirling about Thomas Roberts’ status at NBC/MSNBC. Roberts has been working freelance for MSNBC for a while now but the past week or so there’s been a lot of chatter that he may now be permanent. It started with some tweets from Chris Harris, Daryn Kagan, and CNBC’s Nicole Lapin all strongly suggesting Roberts was now an NBC/MSNBC employee. So far MSNBC has not made any announcements.
But that hasn’t stopped someone from setting up a new Facebook group to get Roberts his own show. The group was set up a week ago which coincides nicely with when that twitter buzz started happening. Usually a “give so and so a show” group on Facebook wouldn’t raise my eyebrows but this one is a bit different since the subject of the group is an active participant and apparently has group admin power.
All signs point to Roberts being hired. I wonder what is delaying an announcement? More importantly, if he has been hired, is someone going or is someone going to lose an hour?
Inside Cable News 
November 26, 2010 at 8:57 pm
You ask some serioulsy valid questions. Why do I get nervious every time that I sense that MSNBC is thinking about doing something?
November 26, 2010 at 9:05 pm
I didn’t know he wasn’t actually hired by MSNBC. He’s been filling in basically everywhere (including helping out during Chilean miner coverage overnight with Chris Jansing). FWIW, I checked Google’s cache, and his bio has said “News Anchor @ MSNBC New York” since at least Nov 23.
November 26, 2010 at 9:27 pm
Bye bye, Brewer.
November 26, 2010 at 9:39 pm
joe, say it isn’t so!
November 26, 2010 at 9:46 pm
^ Unless they intend to keep him a super-sub – which he clearly doesn’t plan on doing – something’s gotta give. That something isn’t Jansing or Mitchell or Hall.
November 26, 2010 at 9:51 pm
Highly doubt that Brewer is going anywhere. She has solidified her place at MSNBC and is good friends with Phil Griffin (apparently he’s a fan of Brewer’s “Caught On Camera” weekend fests). If that’s not enough….I remember Contessa Brewer’s 12am EST hour gained viewers (TOTAL AND DEMO) especially in the demo last time ICN talked about MSNBC dayside ratings—-so why would they scrap her?
Maybe I’m think outside the box here….but maybe Thomas can get a weekend news program? Am I expecting to much from msnbc?
November 26, 2010 at 9:59 pm
PLEASE stop the madness that is their weekend afternoon programming. I’ll gladly watch him then, or even instead of Alex Witt in the AM.
November 26, 2010 at 10:07 pm
As long as Griffin is a “fan of Caught On Camera”, don’t expect any decent weekend programming anytime soon. I hope that idiot’s happy..I’ve been watching FNC the whole holiday. It may be mostly reruns of primetime programming, but it beats the hell out of Lockup.
Hey Phil, have you seen the FNC doc, “The Right All Along?” Me neither, ’til the last couple days. It’s pretty good..
November 26, 2010 at 10:19 pm
As I look at what I think are the possible alternatives, none of them I find very appealing. Each would draw some kind of fire from me. And no, I’m not going to pollute the pool and tell you what I think those alternatives are.
November 26, 2010 at 10:45 pm
On the Today Show Friday, he was introduced as MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts
November 27, 2010 at 5:54 am
I agree wit Real; Roberts is not taking over for Brewer. He’s just not that good; serviceable maybe but not can’t wait to see his show good.
If he does get a show it will be Andrea Mitchell’s, as she probably has the weakest hour on dayside. She’s a much better fit for a Sunday show based more on foreign affairs.
Mitchell also is getting long in the tooth and may be nearing the end of her on air career; at least a host. It may be time for her to follow the Tom Brokaw route into specials and guest commentator..
November 27, 2010 at 9:15 am
I just received confirmation that Roberts’ deal with MSNBC is done. Why there hasn’t been an announcement is a little odd and, again, I suspect it has to do with where he winds up and who loses out as a result.
Fritz, you’re right but you’re also wrong. Much as I think Mitchell should go, she won’t be going. You seriously think MSNBC is going to drop one of its Politics hours? HA!
November 27, 2010 at 9:32 am
He filled in for Olby, which I thought was weird since he isn’t a commentator and more of an anchor. But he got really high numbers so I guess he will do well wherever he lands.
November 27, 2010 at 1:14 pm
Andrea still can’t talk straight, but it’s a solid hour..especially in comparison to its shrieking competition on FNC.
November 27, 2010 at 1:42 pm
Personally I like Andrea’s show; something about intelligent discussion of news just pleases me; but she can be shifted to some other role without a great deal of redoing lineups.
Brewer would have to be let go or switched to weekends if she lost her hour. She also has a lot of fans, me included, who would be upset at having her replaced by Roberts.
The other role that Thomas Roberts could play is as second fiddle on Hall’s or Bashir’s shows; much like Richard Lui on Chris Jansing’s show.
The place I don’t see him is in prime time as a sub; his two days in for KO were uncomfortable; to say the least. The ratings were high because KO was suspended not because Roberts was doing the show.
November 27, 2010 at 2:45 pm
I’m not a huge Contessa fan, but it’s a serviceable newshour. i wouldn’t want to see her replaced with Roberts. I think he should do the 3:00 slot, but that leaves Bashir out. Works for me, but I know that’s not how MSNBC sees it. I have no clue what they’re thinking with Bashir. he does stories, not news. He needs a Stossel-type hour on CNBC.
November 27, 2010 at 3:20 pm
@joeremi
I agree regarding Martin Bashir. I don’t know what MSNBC is doing putting him on at 3pm EST. Although, I never understand what msnbc is doing with it’s daytime schedule.
If I had it my way scrap “The Daily Rundown”, put “Jansing and Company” right after “Morning Joe” and better utilize Richard Liu. Pair together Contessa Brewer with Thomas Roberts for the next two hours, and cap it off with a Tamron Hall and Veronica De La Cruz (or Norah O’Donnell) combo. Then Dylan, Bashir, Matthews….
November 27, 2010 at 3:41 pm
^ Hey Real, you’re pretty good at that. Works for me.
November 27, 2010 at 4:17 pm
Come on guys next to Maddow’s show the Daily Rundown is the best show on MSNBC; real non-partisan political stories for us political junkies. If you have to move it put it Ratigan’s slot; but scrap it; my pulse is racing at just the thought. 😉
November 27, 2010 at 4:52 pm
@fritz3
Sorry but Chuck and Savannah just don’t have any chemistry. It looks like they’re good friends off-camera, but once the camera turns on there is just awkward pauses and fake laughing.
I love me a straight political show….but not one that makes me feel bad for the hosts. Have you ever seen Willie and Savannah hosting?—it is so much more comfortable for both hosts and subsequently for the viewers.
Also, TDR time-slot doesn’t fit the show. It just looks like a one-hour filler between MJ and Jansing & Company. I think MSNBC can find two hosts that deliver a non-partisan political show for political junkies—-but TDR just isn’t it for me.
November 27, 2010 at 5:14 pm
I don’t have any strong feelings one way or the other about Savannah Guthrie; she’s competent and not hard on the eyes.
But Chuck Todd is simple the best political analysis on TV period and to think he could be replaced by Willie Geist is laughable. It would be like replacing Fareed Zakaria with Larry King. I could live with Savannah gone but Chuck Todd is the closes thing to untouchable MSNBC has; more than KO and almost as much as Maddow.
I still think Todd should have gotten the ‘Meet the Press’ gig.
November 27, 2010 at 5:16 pm
^closes should be closest Sorry.
November 27, 2010 at 5:43 pm
I wasn’t advocating for “The Willie and Savannah Report”. Although, re-reading my last comment (which I should probably do more often) I realized that it may have come across that way. My point was Savannah and Chuck have no chemistry….and it makes it uncomfortable to watch, even for a political junkie like myself.
Anyways, I think that Savannah and Chuck already have sufficient roles at NBC and MSNBC at White House Correspondents. They both will survive with or without TDR.
November 27, 2010 at 6:50 pm
I like Chuck Todd, but the show is dull.
December 19, 2010 at 3:17 pm
Will Bashir’s new show revolve around actual news, or will it be ANOTHER commentary show? Ending the newsflow at 3PM EST is way too early, no?
I’d like to see Thomas somewhere on weekend afternoons. i remember msnbc once doing ms live from 3-6EST. anything but DocuMysteries all day, PLEASE, ANYTHING! 😀
December 20, 2010 at 9:11 am
[…] though it’s been official for a few weeks, now it’s really official because an MSNBC press release says […]
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