Alex Wagner to Succeed Rachel Maddow at MSNBC

One of MSNBC's most important time slots, the 9 pm hour, has been taken over by a political news veteran.

Ms.Wagner has roots in progressive news and opinion outlets. She returned to MSNBC in February as a senior political analyst and guest-anchor during prime time, filling in for Rachel Maddow.

As the network prepares to cover this fall's mid-term elections, the president said that Ms.Wagner's experience covering politics would be important.

Ms. Jones said that this isn't a show where our hair is on fire and we're yelling past each other. The show will give me a better understanding of what is happening in the world.

The only Asian American to host a prime time cable news program is Ms.Wagner.

Ms. Maddow reduced her hosting duties at MSNBC last year. The show will still be called "The Rachel Maddow Show" on Mondays when she hosts at 9 p.m. There will be a show in that hour on Tuesdays and Fridays. Her show has not been named.

The 9 pm hour is a linchpin of the prime-time lineup and is now just one part of a broader programming strategy. In the last few years, MSNBC, Fox News and CNN have all launched video-streaming services.

Despite the emphasis on emerging formats, traditional TV still dominates among cable news networks. Prime-time viewership is still a benchmark for success in an industry obsessed with ratings, and ad budgets have been slow to shift away from traditional TV. Television distribution deals with cable companies are still very lucrative for cable news networks. CNN's streaming service was no longer available in April.

Chris Licht, the new chairman of CNN, said that MSNBC would look to build its brand on a variety of different platforms rather than focusing on traditional TV.

The audiences on cable are changing quickly. It is still a large part of the audience that watches MSNBC, but how do we take that deep connection and bring it to new places?

Ms. Jones said that MSNBC would be interested in having Ms.Wagner on their show. MSNBC programs such as "Morning Joe" and "All In With Chris Hayes" can be seen on Peacock after they air on MSNBC.

Ms. Jones didn't talk to Ms. Maddow about her replacement. Ms. Jones said that Ms. Wagner was in talks to host MSNBC's 9 pm hour.

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Ms.Wagner has worked in print, digital and TV. A native of Washington, D.C., Ms.Wagner has worked as a cultural correspondent for the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank, as well as a co- host of the show "The Circus."

Ms.Wagner has a relationship with MSNBC that goes back more than 10 years. She hosted a weekday opinion show. In 2015, it was canceled as the network shifted to more straight news coverage and less opinion.

The wife of a former White House chef is a 1999 graduate of Brown University.