MSNBC shuffling weekend schedule, debuting new morning ensemble, heading into election year

NEW YORK (AP) — MSNBC is shuffling its weekend schedule early next year with an eye toward juicing ratings heading into an election year. It will start “The Weekend,” a two-hour morning ensemble on Saturdays and Sundays with Alicia Menendez, Symone Sanders-Townsend and Michael Steele as hosts. Two current weekend hosts, Mehdi Hasan and Yasmin Vossoughian, will lose their regular time slots yet continue with the network. Ayman Mohyeldin and Alex Witt emerge as winners, with both adding to their weekend airtime. Jonathan Capehart and Katie Phang keep their shows but switch airtimes. The outspoken Hasan had received some attention for his pro-Arab views during wartime, but MSNBC characterized the changes as being ratings-driven.