Official: Cosby to join MSNBC
FIRST ON ICN
NBC has announced that Rita Cosby will join the network — but her program will not debut until the fourth quarter of this year.
From the release:
Rita Cosby will join MSNBC, it was announced today by Rick Kaplan, President of MSNBC. Cosby will start with the network in June and will anchor a daily evening program. In addition, she will serve as a special correspondent. Cosby’s program is in development and will debut in the fourth quarter.
A three-time Emmy Award winner, Cosby most recently served as host of Fox News Channel’s “The Big Story Weekend Edition” and “Fox News Live with Rita Cosby.” She is known for her exclusive interviews with top newsmakers, including her historic back-to-back interviews with former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Cosby has also interviewed former Presidents Ford, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton. Cosby also made headlines with her exclusive Michael Jackson interview. Additionally, Cosby was granted a rare, private meeting with Pope John Paul II after receiving an exclusive letter from Timothy McVeigh explaining why he carried out the Oklahoma City bombing.
“Rita is a tireless and talented journalist and we are thrilled to welcome her to MSNBC,” said Kaplan. “She continually manages to secure the most sought after interviews and handles them brilliantly. Rita will play a prominent role at MSNBC as an anchor and special correspondent. We are looking forward to starting development of her new program.”
“Being asked to anchor a daily evening show is a tremendous opportunity for me,” said Cosby. “I am anxious to get started and look forward to being an integral part of the MSNBC team.”
While at Fox News Channel, Cosby secured a host of exclusive interviews with world leaders including former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic from The Hague. Cosby was also the first journalist to report the identities of the Washington, DC area sniper suspects. She was the first journalist to see suspected terrorists held at Guantanamo and was also the first to interview former Iraqi POW Thomas Hamill, a contractor whose daring escape made headlines. Additional interviews include Mike Tyson, David Berkowitz (”The Son of Sam”) and flight attendant Anne Marie Smith, which led to a U.S. Attorney’s Office investigation of Representative Gary Condit. Prior to joining Fox News Channel, Cosby worked at WBTV, the CBS affiliate in Charlotte, North Carolina. She has received three Emmy Awards for investigative reporting, a Matrix Award and the National Foundation for Women Legislators’ Media Award for Excellence. She earned her bachelors degrees from the University of South Carolina, graduating with honors.
Congrats Insider Cable folks! Our “friend” at TVNewser still hasn’t changed his front page to reflect this press release! Maybe he needs to come on over here and check it out???
Comment by Shopaholic — May 13, 2005 @ 4:19 pm
Good luck to Rita, she will need it at MSNBC, The NBC News Channel, or whatever they are calling themselves. Really doesn;t matter cuz they will make her program flop.
Comment by JJ — May 13, 2005 @ 6:18 pm
Actually, it should be pointed out that we were first with the initial announcement as well — if it hadn’t been on this site, he wouldn’t have seen it.
Comment by WestCoastBlogger — May 13, 2005 @ 6:40 pm
To the person who used a variation on my name–don’t do it again.
Comment by Shopaholic — May 13, 2005 @ 7:11 pm
[color=#FF0000]Go Rita!![/color]
Comment by Mike Dallos — May 24, 2005 @ 5:50 pm
I wish Rita Good Luck & I, for one, will miss her show. I really looked forward to her on the weekends. She was always ahead of everyone else. So knowledgable.
Comment by Charlee Gagnon — June 6, 2005 @ 1:39 pm
whats the gossip on fox news about an affair going on with one of the top dogs…can anyone tell me where to find out this info
Comment by martha holl — June 12, 2005 @ 1:10 pm
I LOVE RITA COSBY, AND WATCH MSNBC WITH DAN ABRAMS. NOW I CAN ALSO WATCH MY VERY FAVORITE ANCHOR RITA COSBY. WHEN WILL HER SHOW START????
LOVE
PATTY
Comment by PATRICIA ASNESS — June 20, 2005 @ 7:36 am
corpulent Cosby appetite for over blown puff piece interviews is only exceeded by her caloric intake. Her interview of the Terry Shivo siblings, where she fawned all over them and supported their absurd story that their sister was not brain dead, was apropos for a faux journalist. Fox probably said good riddance to the over dramatized husky voiced frog.
Comment by James — June 22, 2005 @ 6:50 pm
There is too much to say that is good about Rita. I am so glad she will be on MSNBC. I have never been a big fan of that station, but will be watching now.
Comment by Cathie Hope — July 23, 2005 @ 10:36 pm
Rita Cosby is Hot, and so is the voice
Comment by Tito — September 24, 2005 @ 1:09 am
About time worthless left
Comment by Thunder — July 4, 2007 @ 12:22 pm