Be still my heart, Toure gets a gig on MSNBC in debut of "The Cycle" 3pm time slot [View all]

[HipChick]

If you’re anything like me, you watch the revolving faces on MSNBC as they struggle with the daunting task of remaining impartial yet providing a clear counter-point to FOX News. From Rev. Al Sharpton and Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, to Dr. Melissa Harris-Perry and Tamron Hall, the network has been a showcase for (arguably) respected and progressive black voices in media and the announcement of its new political show, The Cycle, MSNBC continues to follow that trend.


The new program, which the network was set to announce on Thursday, will feature a permanent cast of four: conservative commentator S.E. Cupp, author and pundit Touré, Salon writer Steve Kornacki and former Congressional candidate Krystal Ball. All were previously contributors to the network.



The show launches on Monday at 3 PM.


The outlines of the show were previously reported by Politico and TVNewser.


The four hosts and Steve Friedman, executive producer of “The Cycle,” spoke to The Huffington Post about the show on Thursday afternoon. Friedman said that plans for the new show began two or three months ago, when Ratigan told MSNBC executives he was thinking of leaving. The hosts likened the show to a dinner party, with relatively freewheeling conversations about the news. All said they were eager to move past the kind of partisan brawling common in cable news, and to veer away from what Ball called “gaffe-fest” coverage of politics.

Dylan Ratigan announced his departure from MSNBC earlier this month, so that he could “experiment” in the market to “seize new tools and take cultural risks to resolve our challenges,” reports Mediate.com.




Will you be watching MSNBC’s The Cycle?