Alex Wagner says she’s ready for her shot in prime time.
The former daytime MSNBC host, who left the network in 2015, returns to its airwaves next week, taking over for four nights a week the 9 p.m. time slot previously held by Rachel Maddow.
Maddow, who will continue to host the 9 o’clock hour on Mondays, is the network’s top-rated host but is stepping back from her daily show to focus on other projects at the outlet.
Ahead of the debut of her new show, Wagner spoke with The Hill about her career, the state of the cable news industry and what viewers can expect from her “dream job,” which launches Tuesday.
Questions and answers have been edited for grammar, clarity and length.
Question: Why did you decide to come back to MSNBC, and what drew you back to cable news specifically after spending time in the streaming space and other projects?
Wagner: Who would not take this job? It’s an incredible platform. Rachel has done something incredible in the hour. There was no question I would come back when they offered it. I think my response was “yes, a thousand times yes.”
Q: As you mentioned, Rachel Maddow built a loyal following in her time slot at MSNBC. Is the consensus that her viewers will keep watching in the same hour but just with a different host? Or is this the beginning of a new audience segment in prime time at MSNBC?
Wagner: Anybody would be misguided if they tried to replicate what Rachel does. This is going to be a different hour of television. It’s going to be an evolution. I’m not sure that we’re going to have the same long write-through to start the hour. I think you’re going to see more interview-focused segments, and I think you’ll see field segments as well. We’re going to bring in some new stuff that’s reflective of my career and strengths as a journalist. The best thing you can do is make a show that is reflective and true and authentic to you as a host.
Q: In your view, what does a successful prime-time show on cable news in 2022 look like, and what’s the job of its host? Is it to inform, to entertain, or some combination of both?
Wagner: I don’t think it’s to entertain. I think of myself as a journalist first and foremost. My goal is to focus on issues that are urgent or important to the American public, and to present those stories in a truthful and accurate way. Woe be to anybody who thinks the job of a host is to entertain in these times. We are living in an extraordinary moment for American democracy. The stakes are extraordinarily high, and I take that responsibility very seriously.
Q: There’s been a lot of talk in the industry about the big cable news companies attempting to find the so-called center lane or tone down the partisan rhetoric. What do you make of that, and is it sustainable from a business perspective?
Wagner: I’m not known as a flamethrower, but I’m also unafraid of showcasing injustice or bad actors or lies where they are. That shouldn’t be considered flame-throwing. At the same time, I’m also not going to offer a one-sided perspective on every issue. I don’t go into anything thinking, “I’ve got to make this palatable to the left” or “I’ve got to really sock it to the right.” I go in there thinking, “How do we do this in a way that is accurate and fair and additive?”
Q: What do you say to critics of networks such as MSNBC or CNN who say those channels have drifted too far to the political left, especially in prime time? And generally, how much has the cable news landscape changed since you were last a part of it?
Wagner: One needs to look at the root cause of the change, which is this dramatic political change we’ve undergone as a country and the dramatic change inside the Republican Party. I think cable news is reflective of a party that is becoming increasingly extreme. Insurrection in the U.S. Capitol … that wasn’t happening when I was hosting an MSNBC show in 2012. Everything has changed. And everybody from the audience to the news industry is grappling with how we chronicle these times. Have there been overcorrections? Maybe. Probably. But I do not believe that we should make our newscasts any less urgent. Because the times are desperate in many ways. We have to reflect the times in which we live.
Q: There are obviously a number of highly impactful issues on the minds of voters ahead of the midterms. What are some that intrigue you the most or we can expect to see your show exploring at some length?
Wagner: I am particularly touched by the struggle for reproductive rights. I am interested in the way in which right-wing advocates and funders have manipulated the issue of inclusivity and race to make it a political cudgel. I’m also a person living in a stage one water crisis in my part of New York, and we have to figure out a way to chronicle what’s happening in terms of climate change. We’re going to generally be responsive to the politics of the day.
Q: What have you made of the Jan. 6 hearings so far? From a media and television perspective, do you think the presentation has met the moment and effectively portrayed the story the panel is trying to tell?
Wagner: Yes. What they’ve done is really impressive. It’s a lot of information, a fair share of which people sort of vaguely knew about. More than anything, they’re doing a service to the country. It’s really important that we not shortchange what happened, the way our democratic processes were manipulated, and we have to do something to make sure that doesn’t happen again.
Q: What have you made of the Biden administration so far and news coverage of it? Much has been made of issues regarding the economy, inflation and the rising cost of living. Do you see these as a major political liability for President Biden heading into 2024?
Wagner: The script isn’t written yet. The Biden administration is very happy we’re having this discussion in 2022 and not 2023. A lot changes in politics very quickly. There are external factors that will in many ways determine his fate. And then there is the Democratic Party itself, which is a very big tent party. And so, predicting what they’re going to do and whether Democrats are going to fall in line is also contingent not just on the characters in the tent but what is happening externally. So, there are just so many variables.