NBC News Revives MSNBC Films to Bolster Documentary Ambitions (EXCLUSIVE)

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorViewers who tune in tonight to see the TV industry’s Emmy Awards no doubt expect to encounter celebrities like Jimmy Kimmel, Mindy Kaling, Anthony Anderson and Sterling K. Brown.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorThe third hour of ABC’s “Good Morning America,” initially created as a showcase for softer stuff, is formally taking on a harder edge.T.J. Holmes will join Amy Robach as a co-anchor on the early-afternoon program, which since March has been giving viewers news about the coronavirus pandemic, the looming election, breaking stories of national import and human-interest features, along with medical information and analysis from Dr.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorFox News Media expects to cut less than 3% of its overall staff as the unit, the financial engine of parent Fox Corporation, works to make its operations more efficient after a period of expansion.“As Fox News Media has evolved into a streamlined multi-platform organization, we are realigning several functions and restructuring various divisions in order to position all of our businesses for ongoing success,” the company said in a statement Wednesday.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorWarnerMedia is joining the growing parade of media companies eager to court consumer interest in sports betting.During coverage of the NBA’s Western Conference Finals, TNT will present an alternate live-streamed feed of the games that includes commentary on betting analysis and odds.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorCNN has a new way to get its documentary series heard.Sirius XM plans to launch CNN Originals, a new channel that spotlights the growing number of non-fiction series that appear on both CNN and its sibling network HLN. Starting September 18, programs including Anthony Bourdain’s “Parts Unknown,” “United Shades of America with W.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorMSNBC’s weekend viewers can bid farewell to many prime-time repeats of Rachel Maddow and Chris Hayes.The NBCUniversal-owned cable-news outlet will on September 19 launch two new programs for weekend evenings, and add another anchor to its weekend afternoon coverage. Alicia Menendez, who joined the network in late 2019, will debut “American Voices” on Saturdays and Sundays between 6 p.m.

ABC News will launch a new series exploring"the racial reckoning sweeping the nation and whether it leads to lasting reconciliation." The monthlong series will be called Turning Point, reviving the name of a special series that last aired in the 1990s. Turning Point will kick off September 8 in the currentNightline timeslot of 12:05 AM, supplemented by special reporting across all of ABC's news and talk programming.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorWhen “Nightline” viewers tune in to the program later this evening, they are likely to see something they won’t expect: the show will have a new announcer, new topics, and even a new title.Tonight’s broadcast will mark the start of a month-long “takeover” of the late-night news program by “Turning Point,” an ABC News project that will explore the reckoning America is currently facing on racial issues.

Elaine Low Senior TV WriterBET will air a primetime news special on Sunday night to honor Chadwick Boseman, who died Friday at the age of 43 after privately battling colon cancer for four years.“BET and ET Present Chadwick Boseman: Life and Legacy” is hosted by Kevin Frazier and was produced in partnership with “Entertainment Tonight.” Featuring never-before-seen footage from the “Entertainment Tonight” archives, the tribute covers the acclaimed actor’s career, from his on-screen roles as James

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorOne of the advocacy organizations calling for MSNBC anchor Joy Reid to apologize for comments she made about Muslims in her broadcast earlier this week said it was disappointed by the host’s handling of the situation, leaving open a controversy in Reid’s early tenure on the cable-news outlet’s weekday schedule.On Monday, Reid compared President Trump’s recent rhetoric around protesting to the efforts of radical Muslims to galvanize extremism.

“Thank you @NBC for meeting to discuss our concerns about @JoyAnnReid‘s inaccurate, offensive remarks,” tweeted the council.The tweet went on, “We appreciate your pledge to avoid Islamophobia in all forms. As we discussed, Ms.

According to the Commission on Presidential Debates, Fox News anchor Chris Wallace will moderate the presidential debate on Sept. 29 in Cleveland.

Artem Chigvintsev is about to begin filming season 29 of Dancing with the Stars, after welcoming his baby boy with fiancee Nikki Bella on July 31. A source close to the pro dancer spoke to HollywoodLife exclusively about how Artem’s feeling about going back to work so soon after welcoming a young son.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorMadison Avenue has for decades trotted out a dizzying array of marketing avatars to talk to consumers. Mr.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorPresident Donald Trump will take questions from voters live – and ABC News will be there to show his instant reaction.The Walt Disney-owned news unit plans to air a live “town hall” with President Trump and undecided voters on Tuesday, September 15, at 9 p.m. – just seven weeks before Election Day.  The event will be televised by ABC and streamed by ABC News Live, and is the latest in a recent series of big “gets” by the news operation.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorFootball fans are about to get a bird’s-eye view of gridiron proceedings when they tune in to NBC.The network plans to offer stunning overhead shots thanks to the use of a C360 camera that will be stationed on the bottom of the event’s SkyCam and can provide zoom-in shots of specific players as well as wide looks of plays along the sidelines or views of players on the line of scrimmage.

Very sorry about that @KevinHart4real - bad technical glitch in how photos show up on Facebook,” tweeted the NBC News public relations account after Hart called the mistake “disrespectful on so many levels.”In a correction on the article about Bolt’s diagnosis itself, the news outlet expanded: “A previous version of this article included an incorrect photo on some platforms due to a technical problem. The photo depicted actor Kevin Hart.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorMSNBC is getting closer to making some important weekend plans.The NBCUniversal-owned cable-news outlet is expected sometime this fall to decide on a successor for Joy Reid’s mid-morning weekend slot, according to two people familiar with the matter. Figuring out who might be among the contenders hasn’t been difficult.

Also Read: Trump Blasts CNN and MSNBC for Not Focusing on RNC Roll CallTodd pointed out that Trump trails Democratic nominee Joe Biden in polling “by a sizable margin.”“He’s seemingly been looking for ways to disrupt the vote and sow doubts about its result rather than try to actually catch up the clean way,” he said, noting that Trump “went on a tirade about how this election is going to be rigged unless he wins” during his speech.Earlier Monday, the president criticized MSNBC and CNN for