NewsNation Announces New 5 PM Weekday Political Ensemble Program

By A.J. Katz 

NewsNation’s parent company Nexstar Media acquired political news website TheHill.com in 2021, and the cable news network is expanding TheHill.com brand with the launch of, you guessed it, The Hill, a new hour-long weekday political ensemble show debuting Monday, April 24 at 5 p.m. ET.

The new offering will be moderated by NewsNation anchor and correspondent, Leland Vittert, with former NBC News executive producer Rob Yarin serving as ep. In addition to this new role, Vittert will continue anchoring NewsNation’s 7 p.m. show On Balance with Leland Vittert, with the program moving permanently to a new studio in D.C.

“As the nation awaits another presidential election, we are incredibly proud to debut a new program that will spotlight the top news headlines coming out of Washington,” NewsNation vp of news and managing editor Cherie Grzech said in a statement. “Engaging in powerful discussions with top politicians, thought leaders, and policy makers, will enable us to inform and educate our viewers about the key issues that impact communities across America.”

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The company says that The Hill is “showcasing the inside story of the major players and events shaping the political landscape at a local, state, and national level.”

Each day, the program will feature a high-profile guest who will sit alongside four rotating panelists. Joining the panel will be NewsNation’s political editor Chris Stirewalt, senior political contributor George Will, former Obama aide Johanna Maska, and associate editor of TheHill.com, Niall Stanage.

NewsNation’s The Hill will air in the same hour as another ensemble cable news program, Fox News’ The Five, although this show will likely have a stronger politics focus/less freewheeling tone than cable news’ most-watched show.

Vittert joined NewsNation in May 2021 as an anchor and correspondent, delivering special reports and covering national affairs for the network. He previously spent more than a decade as an anchor and correspondent at Fox News.

Yarin joins NewsNation from Cox Media Group, where he led the Washington News Bureau and managed the organization’s digital content strategy. Prior to that, Yarin served as Meet the Press executive producer from 2013-2015. Earlier in his career, he was the ep for Hardball with Chris Matthews when the show was still on CNBC.

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