MSNBC, which has for some time programmed its last hour of prime time with reruns of Countdown, has finally concluded its search for a 10 p.m. host—by hiring someone who has been on MSNBC approximately forever. (Sigh—sometimes it turns out The One has been right under your nose all along!) Lawrence O’Donnell, a former Democratic Senate staffer and writer for The West Wing—and MSNBC commentator since 1996—will get the post-Rachel Maddow spot, having worked as an MSNBC guest host for some time.
This is not likely to shake up the current dynamic in cable news primetime, in which Fox News trounces everyone, but with CNN’s recent weakness in the nighttime, MSNBC may sense an opportunity for—well, something that is not a rerun. (It also, of course, eliminates the speculation that MSNBC might hire former New York governor/john Eliot Spitzer—at least as a prime-time host.) Excerpts from the announcement after the jump:
NEW YORK – June 15, 2010 – Lawrence O’Donnell will host a new weeknight primetime hour on MSNBC. O’Donnell will begin work full-time with the network immediately to begin planning for a new 10 p.m. ET show. The announcement was made by Phil Griffin, President of MSNBC.
[Mutually flattering Griffin and O’Donnell quotes redacted.]
O’Donnell has been a MSNBC Political Analyst since the network’s launch in 1996, and has served as the regular guest host for “Countdown with Keith Olbermann.” He has also been the guest host for “Hardball with Chris Matthews,” “The Ed Show” and “The Rachel Maddow Show.”
O’Donnell was an Emmy Award-winning producer and writer for the NBC series “The West Wing” and creator and executive producer of the NBC series, “Mister Sterling.”
From 1989 through 1992, O’Donnell served as Senior Advisor to Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan. In 1992, he was Chief of Staff to the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works. From 1993 through 1995 he was the Chief of Staff of the Senate Finance Committee. He first began working with Sen. Moynihan as Director of Communications in the Senator’s 1988 re-election campaign. A writer prior to entering politics and government, O’Donnell published the book Deadly Force (1983), which was adapted as a CBS movie in 1986. He has written essays and articles for several publications including The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, New York Magazine, People, Spy, and Boston Magazine. O’Donnell has also appeared on NBC News’ “Today,” “Good Morning America,” “Nightline,” “Charlie Rose,” and several other programs. Suffolk University awarded O’Donnell an honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, in 2001.
Born in Boston, O’Donnell is a graduate of Harvard College.