MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe’ tries to keep cable news smart while expanding to four hours
LA TimesEver since MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” became a cable news breakfast staple nearly 15 year ago, its three hosts Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist have gotten stopped by viewers who offer thoughts about the three-hour show, which airs live across the country starting at 6 a.m. on the East Coast or 3 a.m. in California. “It’s a great chance to introduce ourselves to people who don’t get up at 3 o’clock in the morning to watch us,” Scarborough says. “If you watch ‘Morning Joe’ you are more likely to keep the channel on MSNBC all day long,” Whitaker says. “It doesn’t solve their prime-time problem, but at least it gives the people who have been the core MSNBC audience for the last decade a reason to start their day with the network.” “Morning Joe” doesn’t have the largest cable news audience in the morning — it trails in second place behind Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends” and recently slipped behind CNN’s “New Day” to third place in the 25-to-54 age group favored by advertisers after finishing second in 2021.