by Thinus Ferreira
The American TV news channel MSNBC (StarSat 263) is moving anchor Joy Reid to a primetime slot in the United States with her new nightly news programme, The ReidOut that will replace Hardball from 20 July.
Viewers in South Africa and across sub-Saharan Africa will be able to watch Joy Reid and The ReidOut at 01:00 in the mornings South African time on MSNBC.
Joy Reid joined MSNBC in 2011 as a contributor and started as the presenter of AM Joy in 2016 on weekends.
The New York Times reports that The ReidOut will be done from Washington and focus on political analysis but will also "address race, class, policing and other cataclysmic social issues we need to reckon with".
In an interview with The Washington Post Joy Reid explained that The ReidOut show name is a reference to a "readout" in politics, when a summary of a call or meeting is provided.
"I really thought a lot about the name because it’s got a good little hashtag capability, and I think it speaks to my love of politics."
MSNBC in a prepared statement only released by MSNBC on Thursday afternoon after the two newspaper interviews serving as the announcement, Phil Griffin, MSNBC president, said that "I’m thrilled to have Joy on five nights a week".
In the statement, Joy Reid said that "I’m honoured and thankful for this opportunity. I’ll always be proud of the work we did on AM Joy by pushing the envelope and tackling pragmatic conversations."
"I’m eager to carry that same energy into primetime where we can continue to build on bringing in diverse, smart, and accomplished voices to the table on topics that are important to our viewers."
