Ed Schultz Leaving Primetime For Weekend Slot

Ed Schultz will soon be leaving his weeknight time slot at MSNBC.

Schultz, who hosts The Ed Show, will broadcast his last 8 pm weeknight shot tonight. The Ed Showwill be moved to the weekend where it will air at 5 PM on Saturday and Sunday. The weekend show, according to the Huffington Post, will start this April.

Schultz said that he chose to move his show to the weekend for a number of “personal and professional” reasons.

Schultz said: “I raised my hand for this assignment for a number of personal and professional reasons. The Ed Show’ has been for the workers and the middle class. This new time slot will give me the opportunity to produce and focus on stories that I care about and are important to American families and American workers.” He added that he did not want to spend all of his time “sitting behind this desk five nights a week.”

Schultz may say that he is leaving his prime time slot voluntarily but many people see the move as a demotion. MSNBC president Phil Griffin, however, said that he was excited to see what Ed could do with the new time slot.

Griffin said: “It’s an exciting time for MSNBC, and I’m looking forward to having Ed’s powerful voice on our network for a long time.”

Schultz had the second highest ratings on the network in February and recently landed a big interview with 47% filmmaker Scott Prouty.

According to Yahoo News, Chris Hayes will move into Schultz’ time slot. Hayes has been hosting his talk show, Up With Chris Hayes, on MSNBC since 2011. It’s unclear who will fill in the space at Hayes’ morning show.

Griffin said: “Chris has done an amazing job creating a franchise on weekend morning… He’s an extraordinary talent and has made a strong connection with our audience. This is an exciting time for MSNBC.”

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