Alicia Menendez is set to host her own show as part of sweeping lineup changes at MS Now ahead of coverage for the 2026 midterm elections.
The Versant-owned cable channel will launch its new weekend programming on June 13, followed by the weekday lineup debuting on June 15, it was announced on Wednesday. Menendez will lead On the Line with Alicia Menendez, to be based in New York City, as that show joins earlier announced new programming like Money, Power, Politics with Stephanie Ruhle, The Moment with Katy Tur and The 11th Hour with Ali Velshi first announced in March.
Other new lineup tweaks includes Symone Sanders Townsend and Michael Steele joining new co-anchor Luke Russert on The Weeknight. The changes overhaul the mornings, dayside, primetime, and weekend schedules for MS Now after it was rebranded from MSNBC and spun out into Versant.
They include Peter Alexander being named on Wednesday to anchor the 11 a.m. hour starting in the summer, with details to follow. And MS Now reiterated Morning Joe will shift back to three hours a day, starting at 6 a.m., from June 15.
That returns Morning Joe to a three hour show, before a fourth hour was added in 2022, as hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski have re-signed their contracts beyond the 2028 election while pulling back from leading a four-hour show five days a week.
Greg Kordick, senior vp of programming at MS Now, said in a memo obtained by The Hollywood Reporter that the lineup overhaul under the Versant banner builds on audience gains ahead of a new political season.
“These new programs build on the organization’s continued success ahead of a consequential midterm election season and consistent growth across linear, digital, social, and audio. April marked the network’s fifth consecutive month of year-over-year growth, averaging more than 1.5 million viewers in weekday primetime, and more than one million viewers across weekday live programming, up nearly 20 percent year-over-year,” Kordick argued.
The dayside programs at MS Now will focus on hard news and reporting. “We’re excited for what’s ahead and look forward to this revamped programming serving as destination viewing for our audience as we head into a pivotal election cycle,” Kordick added.
An overview of MS Now’s new lineup is below:
Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski lead Morning Joe – 6 to 9 a.m. ET beginning Monday, June 15.
Stephanie Ruhle‘s Money, Power, Politics with Stephanie Ruhle airs from 9 to 11 a.m. ET hours during the week.
Alicia Menendez will host On the Line with Alicia Menendez weekdays from 12 to 2 p.m. ET.
Katy Tur will anchor The Moment with Katy Tur weekdays from 2 to 4 p.m. ET.
Symone Sanders Townsend, Michael Steele and Luke Russert will host The Weeknight, weekdays at 7 p.m. ET.
Ali Velshi will anchor The 11th Hour with Ali Velshi weekdays at 11 p.m. ET.
Jacob Soboroff will anchor Connect with Jacob Soboroff on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET on MS NOW.
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