NBC Demotes Chuck Todd -- Again

NBC is moving Chuck Todd‘s program Meet the Press Daily from MSNBC to the streaming service NBC News NOW, the network announced Friday.

In June, NBC will rebrand the show as Meet the Press NOW and stream it live at  4 p.m. ET.

Though Todd and NBC can spin this as an innovative transition -- "Look! We're moving from linear cable to streaming!" -- it's a demotion.

As I discussed on Fox News Radio on Thursday, hardly anyone watches talk programs via streaming apps. And that includes brands far more notable than NBC News NOW, a service few cable viewers heard of before today.

The decision to remove Todd from cable news comes after MSNBC relegated him to 1 pm last year. Todd previously hosted Meet the Press Daily at 5 pm, a slot that draws much higher viewership numbers.

Todd is not riding a wave of momentum at NBC. NBCUniversal chief executive Jeff Shell evenfloated the idea of replacing Todd with Nicolle Wallace on the flagship Sunday program Meet the Press two years ago.

While Todd survived the internal push to remove him, he may not be so lucky the next time around.

NBC and MSNBC viewers have turned on Todd because he's not as loyal and progressive as the other hosts in the media. The website Mediaite frequently tracks theliberal outrage that Todd ignites when he criticizes Democratic strategy and theBiden Administration during Meet the Press.

Almost every Sunday morning, Todd's name trends on Twitter while verified users accuse him of being controlled opposition for Republicans.

Todd is hardly conservative, but he does ask tough questions while interviewing Democratic politicians. Todd didn't get the memo that doing so is no longer allowed. His Sunday morning counterpart George Stephanopoulos is following this rule dutifully on ABC.

The tale of Todd should clear up why hosts at corporate media outlets have pivoted away from the center: the job security and recognition come only to those who take a long stroll to the left. Todd forgot to make that move.

Chuck Todd isn't left-wing enough for NBC News anymore, and he's certainly not kooky enough for a daily program on MSNBC.

MSNBC and its parent company NBC have sent a message that it's the network of Joy Reid, Savannah Guthrie and Jen Psaki. Todd no longer fits.