TVNewser has learned Richard Lui has joined MSNBC as a dayside anchor. As we first reported last month, Lui left HLN after 5 years with the CNN network. Most recently, Lui anchored the 10amET hour of “Morning Express” and has also filled in on CNN and CNN International.
It’s not known what hour or hours Lui will anchor or whether it will be a solo anchor show or paired with the already-crowded MSNBC dayside anchor team.
MSNBC made another high profile hire last month, stealing Martin Bashir from ABC News. Bashir will also anchor on dayside and contribute to Dateline.
> Update: It’s official. The press release is after the jump. Lui begins Aug. 30.
RICHARD LUI NAMED MSNBC ANCHOR
NEW YORK – August 2, 2010 – Richard Lui has been named MSNBC anchor, based in New York City. Lui will anchor MSNBC dayside and starts with the network on August 30. The announcement was made today by MSNBC President Phil Griffin.
“I’ve been watching Richard for years and he’s a strong reporter and a passionate storyteller,” said Griffin. “He’ll be a great addition to our talented team.”
Richard Lui joins MSNBC from CNN Headline News, where he anchored the 10 a.m. hour of “Morning Express.” He also led the network’s morning political coverage, reporting daily on “Morning Express with Robin Meade.” Since 2005, Lui anchored and reported on all CNN English-language networks including CNN US, CNN International, and HLN. He was the first to ever anchor separate shows on all three CNN Worldwide networks on the same day. Lui reported for CNN’s Southern Region, and was a founding anchor of CNN.com Live, the first online news network with full, live programming.
In his five years at CNN Worldwide, Lui anchored live coverage of breaking stories such as the 2009 Gaza-Israel War, Virginia Tech Massacre, 2006 Hezbollah-Israel War, Mumbai train terrorist bombings, and Enron verdicts. Lui’s most recent fieldwork was in the Gulf during the first week of the BP oil spill. Lui reported live at the outset of this disaster on all three CNN networks and CNN.com, and was able to incorporate his five years of experience working in the oil spill clean-up industry into his stories.
Lui has also focused his reporting on child trafficking. In March 2010, he reported from Ghana on children being sold to fishermen to work on boats. Lui also went undercover to report on underage sex slaves held in Indonesian brothels. His recent reporting in West Africa covered the social and economic effects of brain drain and the discovery of offshore oil, especially relevant given the recent Gulf disaster.
Before joining CNN, Lui was based in Singapore at Channel NewsAsia, an English-only news network reaching 20 countries and territories. He reported from Asia on the South Asian tsunami that killed hundreds of thousands, and the region’s debilitating 2003 SARS and bird flu outbreaks. In 2004, he reported live on the shooting of Taiwan’s president during the national election. He has also reported on Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim nation, as it moved from Sukarno family rule bridging 50 years.
Lui brings his experience of a 15-year career in international business across five industries to his reporting. He has worked in manufacturing, consulting, food and beverage, environmental, oil spill cleanup, and technology industries. His most recent endeavors include founding the first bank-centric payment system in a 2003 Citibank carve-out.
Lui has been active in community service for 25 years, in Africa, Asia, and the U.S. Currently, he is a pro bono strategy consultant and board member for non-profits involved with the homeless and affordable housing. Lui has worked, lived, and studied in Europe, Asia, and throughout the U.S. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in rhetoric from UC Berkeley and holds an MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.