Meet The Press is undergoing a staff shakeup, and a new executive producer could mean the end of the line for Chuck Todd.
The News: Chuck Todd Could Soon Be Out At Meet The Press
According to The Daily Beast:
John Reiss, who had been EP for the last eight years, was officially punted over to the NBC News Now streaming service, and David P. Gelles, a long-time CNN producer who helped develop the now-defunct CNN+ streamer, was parachuted in to help fix the sinking show, which is down 21 percent in total viewership and 24 percent in the key advertising demographic compared to last year—more than any of the other Sunday politics shows.
Gelles’ first order of business, multiple sources said, is deciding what to do about Chuck Todd, who despite recently signing a two-year extension, as Confider has learned, has baffled many at NBC with how long he’s remained atop the struggling show.
NBC News Has Already Picked Chuck Todd’s Replacement, And It’s Kristen Welker
The Daily Beast also reports that NBC has been grooming Kristen Welker to replace Chuck Todd, so when Todd is eventually sent packing, the new host won’t be Rachel Maddow or Nicolle Wallace as many fans have suggested, but Kristen Welker, who is another practitioner of DC both sidesism.
Meet The Press Has Become Almost Unwatchable
The Chuck Todd era is not as bad as the hosting tenure of disinterested David Gregory who may have been the worst moderator in the program’s long and distinguished history, but the show has clearly declined under Todd.
CBS’s Face The Nation is the top Sunday show, with ABC’s This Week following closely behind.
Kristen Welker isn’t likely to fix the problem with Meet The Press, which under Todd has developed an almost pathological aversion to asking Republicans tough questions or digging deep with interview subjects with follow-ups.
Viewers may finally get what they want if Chuck Todd gets the boot, but don’t expect his replacement to be any better, but NBC is the network that once determined that Rachel Maddow is too “partisan” to host Meet The Press.
Mr. Easley is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association