This week, MSNBC announced two major changes to its daytime line-up starting in 2010.
“Morning Meeting with Dylan Ratigan,” which aired from 9-11amET has been canceled. Ratigan will move to one hour in the afternoons at 4pmET — interestingly up against the show he once co-anchored on CNBC, “Closing Bell.” Ratigan’s show premiered on MSNBC in late June.
NBC News White House correspondents Chuck Todd and Savannah Guthrie will co-anchor a new show at 9amET.
MSNBC’s 9amET hour has averaged 117,000 A25-54 demo viewers for the year. But by November, the Ratigan hour averaged just 75,000 viewers. At 10amET, the A25-54 average was 109,000 for 2009. By November, it was just 65,000. The hours were coming in fifth behind FNC, CNN, HLN and CNBC.
We went back to look at 2007 numbers for the network (2008 would have been inflated due to election coverage). MSNBC averaged 85,000 at 9amET and 88,000 at 10amET.
As Inside Cable News points out, MSNBC has fallen to fourth place during the day. From 9am-5pmET MSNBC is behind FNC and CNN in Total Viewers and behind FNC, CNN, and HLN in the demo.
MSNBC says the Ratigan move is not related to the ratings. A spokesperson tells TVNewser the decision was centered around the flow of programming. “The lineup changes are being made because we’re launching Chuck and Savannah’s program at 9am and we think that Dylan’s show will be a great companion to Hardball at 4pm.”