David Shuster to Host MSNBC Political Program
MSNBC is replacing one David with another on its 6 p.m. program, “1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.”
The cable news channel, owned by NBC Universal, is expected to announce Monday that David Shuster, a Washington correspondent, will succeed David Gregory on the political program, people with knowledge of the move said Sunday night.
Mr. Gregory started anchoring the early evening hour, then named “Race for the White House,” last March. Last week, after Mr. Gregory was named the new moderator of “Meet the Press,” Mr. Shuster served as the substitute host.
“1600 Pennsylvania Avenue” covers the presidential transition and other topics. Last week, guests debated the need for a “car czar,” discussed the arrest of Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois, and questioned whether President Bush would be remembered as the “worst president in history.”
Nielsen Media Research consistently ranks the program third for the hour, behind Fox News Channel and CNN. In the politically charged month of November, the hour averaged 911,000 total viewers, far fewer than either CNN’s 1.5 million or Fox’s 2.1 million. (The New York Times and NBC News, the parent of MSNBC, have a content-sharing arrangement for political coverage.)
Mr. Shuster worked at the Fox News Channel for six years before joining MSNBC in 2002. He contributes regularly to “Hardball With Chris Matthews,” the program that is broadcast both before and after the 6 p.m. hour. Mr. Shuster drew criticism in February when he asked whether Chelsea Clinton had been “pimped out” during her mother’s presidential campaign. He was subsequently suspended by the network for two weeks.
More changes are coming to the 6 p.m. hour on cable news. Brit Hume, the longtime anchor of “Special Report” on Fox News, will step down at the end of the year, and the network has not announced how it will fill his time slot. Mr. Hume has indicated that he would like to see Bret Baier, Fox’s chief White House correspondent, host the hour.
Full Version: David Shuster to Host MSNBC Political Program
I really, really like David Shuster. He's bright, quick on his feet, and when he has subbed for Keith Olbermann he has been just as hard-hitting. I'm glad he's getting this opportunity. 
msnbc? another hate filled news channel?
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Tenure at Fox News
From 1996 to 2002, Shuster was a Washington, D.C.-based correspondent for the Fox News Channel. He was at the Pentagon at the time of the September 11, 2001 attacks and led Fox's coverage of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan. During the Bill Clinton administration, Shuster led Fox's coverage of the Clinton investigations including Whitewater, the Monica Lewinsky scandal, the Starr Report and the Senate impeachment trial.
Shuster was also a member of Fox's "You Decide 2000" political team. He spent four months on John McCain's "Straight Talk Express" bus and was Fox's lead correspondent for McCain's presidential campaign.
From 1996 to 2002, Shuster was a Washington, D.C.-based correspondent for the Fox News Channel. He was at the Pentagon at the time of the September 11, 2001 attacks and led Fox's coverage of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan. During the Bill Clinton administration, Shuster led Fox's coverage of the Clinton investigations including Whitewater, the Monica Lewinsky scandal, the Starr Report and the Senate impeachment trial.
Shuster was also a member of Fox's "You Decide 2000" political team. He spent four months on John McCain's "Straight Talk Express" bus and was Fox's lead correspondent for McCain's presidential campaign.
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Shuster left CNN in 1994 to become a political reporter for the ABC affiliate KATV in Little Rock, Arkansas, covering the Whitewater scandal. During this period, Shuster led KATV's coverage of the indictment, trial, conviction, and resignation of Arkansas Governor Jim Guy Tucker.
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Chelsea Clinton remark and suspension
On February 7, 2008, while hosting an MSNBC program, Shuster discussed Chelsea Clinton's campaigning for her mother Hillary Clinton, her efforts to influence superdelegates, and her refusal to answer any questions by the media. When his guest, Bill Press, pointed out that Bush's daughters campaigned for their father, Shuster noted the different access rules in each case and responded, "There's just something a little bit unseemly to me that Chelsea's out there calling up celebrities, saying support my mom … doesn't it seem like Chelsea's sort of being pimped out in some weird sort of way?"[citation needed]
The Clinton campaign demanded an apology and stated that Clinton might not participate in any further debates on MSNBC.[2] Shuster was temporarily suspended from all NBC News and MSNBC appearances for his comments, rather than having to issue an apology.[3] Before the suspension Shuster had engaged in a heated e-mail exchange with a Clinton staffer in which he defended his remarks.[4]
Shuster's two-week suspension[5] from on-air duties ended on February 22, 2008.
On February 9, 2008, a blogger posted that Phil Griffin, a senior vice president and president of MSNBC, threatened to fire Shuster for not having apologized; Meet the Press host Tim Russert intervened with Griffin in Shuster's behalf.[6]
On February 7, 2008, while hosting an MSNBC program, Shuster discussed Chelsea Clinton's campaigning for her mother Hillary Clinton, her efforts to influence superdelegates, and her refusal to answer any questions by the media. When his guest, Bill Press, pointed out that Bush's daughters campaigned for their father, Shuster noted the different access rules in each case and responded, "There's just something a little bit unseemly to me that Chelsea's out there calling up celebrities, saying support my mom … doesn't it seem like Chelsea's sort of being pimped out in some weird sort of way?"[citation needed]
The Clinton campaign demanded an apology and stated that Clinton might not participate in any further debates on MSNBC.[2] Shuster was temporarily suspended from all NBC News and MSNBC appearances for his comments, rather than having to issue an apology.[3] Before the suspension Shuster had engaged in a heated e-mail exchange with a Clinton staffer in which he defended his remarks.[4]
Shuster's two-week suspension[5] from on-air duties ended on February 22, 2008.
On February 9, 2008, a blogger posted that Phil Griffin, a senior vice president and president of MSNBC, threatened to fire Shuster for not having apologized; Meet the Press host Tim Russert intervened with Griffin in Shuster's behalf.[6]
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