In the world of cable news, there’s Fox News—and then there’s the rest, trying their best not to be forgotten. The latest ratings disaster to hit the airwaves? MSNBC’s highly touted, re-shuffled primetime lineup, which has gone over with viewers like a wet firework on the Fourth of July.
Leading the parade of poor performance is none other than Jen Psaki, former White House press secretary under Joe Biden and once positioned as the future face of MSNBC. Her program, The Briefing with Jen Psaki, was meant to bring a fresh, intellectual flair to the network’s primetime offerings. Instead, it’s turning into a case study on what happens when you mistake Beltway buzz for actual viewer interest.
Since debuting on May 6 at 9 p.m. ET, Psaki’s show has averaged just 971,000 viewers. Yes, under a million. For a major network in a primetime slot. That figure represents a staggering 47 percent drop compared to what MSNBC’s lineup used to draw in the same time slot under Rachel Maddow and Alex Wagner.
It’s not just a bad start—it’s a nosedive.
For a network that has long leaned into its progressive base, shedding nearly half its viewers should set off alarms. Psaki, while certainly a familiar face in liberal circles, seems to be struggling to connect with the wider MSNBC audience that, love them or not, showed up for the likes of Maddow and Joy Reid.
And it’s not just Psaki. The entire MSNBC primetime shake-up appears to be suffering from a case of buyer’s remorse. The new ensemble show that replaced Reid’s time slot has lost 12 percent of its audience, while another new weekend show fared only slightly better, dropping 11 percent compared to its predecessor.
But perhaps the most damning statistic comes from the key 25–54 demographic—the golden goose for advertisers. Not only has MSNBC failed to grow this crucial audience, but they’ve also managed to fall behind CNN in the demo. That’s right. CNN. The same network that’s spent the past year stumbling from one leadership shuffle to the next like a sitcom character looking for a door that isn’t there.
According to TV Insider, in May, Fox News enjoyed a 23 percent boost in overall ratings. By contrast, MSNBC dropped 24 percent, and CNN fell 18 percent. It’s the kind of shift that doesn’t just reflect viewer preferences—it screams them.
And let’s not forget the early birds. Morning Joe, the long-running early morning show hosted by husband-and-wife duo Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, is also experiencing a slump. Once a staple of MSNBC’s daily programming, it’s now just another name on the network’s growing list of underperformers.
So, what went wrong?
Some would argue that MSNBC’s decision to replace two controversial but commanding personalities like Rachel Maddow and Joy Reid with more “measured” voices has backfired. Others might say the real issue is that viewers are simply tired of hearing the same liberal talking points, packaged in slightly different tones.
Whatever the reason, it’s clear that MSNBC’s primetime rebrand is failing to catch fire—and viewers are tuning out in droves.
Meanwhile, over at Fox News, the formula remains consistent: speak directly to Americans concerned about border security, rising inflation, energy policy, and parental rights—issues that resonate far beyond the walls of Georgetown cocktail parties. And surprise, surprise, that strategy works.
As Psaki and her producers mull over how to turn things around, they might want to take a page from Fox’s playbook. Less Beltway jargon, more real talk. Because in today’s media landscape, spin doesn’t sell—but authenticity just might.
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