MSNBC is reportedly among the cable news networks in talks with Shepard Smith, and is considering the former longtime Fox News anchor for a prime-time spot.
The Daily Beast reported late Monday that MSNBC and CNN are looking to sign Smith, 56, who parted ways with Fox in October after 23 years with the network.
The online publication added that its sources say the Comcast-owned MSNBC wants to move Chuck Todd’s “Meet the Press Daily” to 9 a.m. ET.
The New York Post reported last week that MSNBC was looking to expand Nicolle Wallace’s “Deadline: White House” to two hours starting at 4 p.m., which would mean Todd’s 5 p.m. program would have to move. Unidentified sources told The Daily Beast that Todd opposes the move.
Smith is not able to work for another network until his noncompete agreement with Fox News expires. It is not known when that deal expires.
CNN President Jeff Zucker said back in October that he was “very open to talking” to Smith, calling the former Fox News anchor “an immense talent.”
“I think Shep’s a great journalist,” Zucker said at the network’s Citizen conference in New York. “When he’s available, he is somebody who is very talented and I would be very open to talking to him.”
The latest reports come as all the major cable news networks add staff and resources with the 2020 presidential election less than 325 days away.