Sharpton Appears to Win Olbermann's MSNBC Spot

The Rev. Al Sharpton apparently will have a new pulpit soon on MSNBC. The controversial civil rights activist will be given the 6 p.m. Eastern time slot that opened as a result of the lineup shake-up that occurred with the departure of Keith Olbermann in January, The New York Times reports.

The move is a bit of a surprise, as Internet talk show host Cenk Uygur has been trying out for the slot for about six months. Sharpton has been anchoring the hour for the past three weeks. As a result of Olbermann’s departure, Ed Schultz was moved from 6 to 10 p.m., the Times reported.

Sharpton’s apparent hire is significant because MSNBC and other cable channels have been criticized for having few minority anchors. MSNBC President Phil Griffin decided to try out Sharpton in late June and apparently offered Uygur a new contract that included a weekend show but not a higher-profile weekday show, according to the Times.

Uygur told the Times he rejected the contract because he felt Griffin gave into political pressure. Uygur said that, in April, Griffin “called me into his office and said that he’d been talking to people in Washington, and that they did not like my tone,” according to the Times.

Griffin denied the accusation and expressed disappointment that Cenk refused the weekend position. “We never told Cenk what to say or what not to say,” Griffin said.

Controversial civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton apparently will have a new pulpit soon on MSNBC. Sharpton will be given the 6 p.m. time slot that opened as a result of the lineup shake-up that occurred with the departure of Keith Olbermann in January, The New York Times reports. www.nytimes.com/2011/07/21/business/media/sharpton-close-to-being-msnbc-anchor.html

The move is a bit of a surprise, as Internet talk show host Cenk Uygur has been trying out for the slot for about six months. Sharpton has been anchoring the hour for the past three weeks. As a result of Olbermann’s departure, Ed Schultz was moved to 10 p.m. from 6 p.m., the Times reported.

Sharpton’s apparent hire is significant because MSNBC and other cable channels have been criticized for having few minority anchors. MSNBC President Phil Griffin decided to try out Sharpton in late June and apparently offered Uygur a new contract that included a weekend show but not a higher-profile weekday show, according to the Times.

Uygur told the Times he rejected the contract because he felt Griffin gave into political pressure. Uygur said that, in April, Griffin “called me into his office and said that he’d been talking to people in Washington, and that they did not like my tone,” according to the Times.

Griffin denied the accusation and expressed disappointment that Cenk refused the weekend position. “We never told Cenk what to say or what not to say,” Griffin said.