The Rev. Al Sharpton's MSNBC show "PoliticsNation" is being moved from its weekday timeslot to Sunday mornings,
Capitol New York reports.
The move was announced in an internal staff memo by MSNBC president Phil Griffin Wednesday evening. Sharpton's last weekday episode will air on September 4, and he will move to 8 a.m. Sundays on October 4.
"I want to congratulate Al and his team," Griffin wrote. "For four years they have done a terrific job bringing his voice and a big spotlight to issues of justice, civil rights and equality. And as many of you know, The Rev never missed a show. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do with a Sunday morning newsmaker program."
Sharpton's current 6 p.m. Eastern slot will be filled by the news program "MSNBC Live" until a permanent replacement is named, Griffin said.
Though the move comes amid a lineup shakeup that has seen other shows outright canceled on the low-rated network, Sharpton insisted in an interview with the
New York Daily News that the move isn't a demotion, suggesting instead it puts him on a level with the Sunday morning news programs such as sister broadcast network NBC's "Meet the Press."
"I'm very happy," Sharpton said. "First, I can reach a wider audience of people who don’t get home by 6 at night. Second, I can now get the A-list guests and newsmakers I want. And third, a Sunday morning host is what I always wanted to be."
Sharpton said he never wanted to be a "weeknight pundit," but a "Sunday morning newsmaker."
"I wanted to be Dr. Martin Luther King, not Larry King," he told the Daily News.
Some shows will be pre-taped and others will air live, he said, and he will keep preaching in church on Sunday mornings as well.
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