Top conservative radio host reportedly offered new show on MSNBC

The radical transformation of cable news continues. According to a report by Yashar Ali in New York Magazine, conservative radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt is in talks with MSNBC about the creation of a new television show Hewitt would host.

According to New York Magazine’s sources, the show would air on weekend evenings. Initially, Hewitt had been offered a show for weekend mornings, but Hewitt turned the offer down because he reportedly wants an evening show.

Hewitt is a longtime conservative radio host who is broadcast through the popular Salem Radio Network. He is also currently a contributor for NBC News and appears frequently on panels on MSNBC and NBC News shows, such as “Meet the Press.”

If Hewitt does end up with his own show on MSNBC, it would continue the traditionally liberal network’s move toward more moderate programming. MSNBC shocked many when it decided to launch in January 2017 a new show featuring conservative Greta Van Susteren, who hosted a show on the Fox News Channel for 14 years.

Ali reports the move toward a more balanced television lineup is not sitting well with some at the network.

“MSNBC’s talks with Hewitt come at a time of increased internal tension at the network,” Ali reported. “Some staff are worried that NBC News chairman Andy Lack is leading the cable network in a more conservative direction. At an NBC News town hall after the election, Lack said that the organization should be focused on appealing to America’s heartland, according to people at the meeting. The remark was widely seen as a directive to, as one source put it, ‘focus on Trump voters.’”

Hewitt’s view of President Donald Trump is unquestionably more favorable than the views held by many of the other hosts at MSNBC, especially top hosts Chris Matthews and Rachel Maddow.

In a recent op-ed for the Washington Post titled “Trump’s Firs 100 Days Give Conservatives a lot to Celebrate,” Hewitt called Trump’s time in office an “enormous” “sea change” and mostly praised the Trump administration’s performance.

(H/T: Mediaite)