MSNBC shuffles anchors, creates unique looks for Biden coverage

While President Joe Biden’s exit from the 2024 presidential election dominated all of cable news Monday, July 22, 2024, MSNBC stood out among U.S. cable news networks with branded graphics and anchor changes to help handle a busy news day.

The network had Ana Cabrera and José Díaz-Balart both anchor from 10 a.m. to noon eastern. Normally the two anchor two separate hours, with Díaz-Balart often broadcasting from Telemundo’s studios in Miami, Florida.

The network branded its coverage under the “MSNBC Reports” name, though the normal titles remained on the schedule grids.

Later, Andrea Mitchell and Chris Jansing co-anchored the noon hour with Mitchell in Washington and Jansing in New York. At 1 p.m. eastern, Katy Tur joined Jansing at the anchor desk in New York while Mitchell remained on air. Jansing and Tur then carried coverage through 4 p.m. when “Deadline: White House” begins.

Mitchell normally anchors at noon, with Jansing occupying the 1 and 2 p.m. hour. Tur normally anchors at 3 p.m.

During the earlier hours of the day, MSNBC, like other networks, had to shuffle between covering the Biden news and the live televised Secret Service hearings on Capitol Hill concerning the assassination attempt on Donald Trump just over a week ago.

MSNBC continued using the look that NBC introduced Sunday, July 21, 2024, which was based on a design the family of networks first used for Biden’s inauguration back in 2021.

The look includes a custom open, transition and lower-third graphic. It uses a stylized photo of Biden along with the presidential seal and circular Democratic National Committee logo in the background. 

Advertisement

Throughout the coverage, MSNBC made use of the multiple video walls and displays in Studio 3A.

Anchors were also set up in front of video wall graphics showcasing a Washington, D.C., skyline (with the White House typically at center) with a blue band with repeating stacked “2024” icons taken from the network’s Decision 2024 look and featuring star and stripe accents.

Elsewhere in the New York studio, video walls displayed graphics more in line with the Biden look.

In addition to dayside coverage, the network is also promoting special coverage in primetime.

Both Fox and CNN also carried extended coverage of Biden’s exit during the day, but stuck largely with their normal looks (Fox also appeared to focus more on the Secret Service hearing during its dayside hours July 22).

CNN used a mix of its normal show graphics and breaking news look while Fox used its “alert” look for much of the day.