MS NOW is teaming up with New York cultural institution the 92nd Street Y for a new monthly series hosted by Nicolle Wallace, TheWrap has learned exclusively.
“Nicolle Wallace Presents: 92NY on MS NOW” will bring conversations from the 92nd Street Y to the network’s weekend lineup, beginning Sunday, Oct. 4 at 8 p.m. ET. The series will feature conversations led by Wallace and Rachel Maddow with figures including Robert Downey Jr., Ari Emanuel, Anthony Scaramucci and Malcolm Gladwell.
The premiere will open with Wallace in conversation with former Trump White House communications director Scaramucci at 8 p.m., followed at 9 p.m. by Maddow’s conversation with legendary Hollywood agent and dealmaker Emanuel.
Additional installments featuring Downey and Gladwell are planned, though MS NOW has not yet announced dates for those conversations.
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The partnership gives MS NOW another source of longform programming as the network moves away from live, hosted programming on weekend evenings in favor of taped shows and outside content partnerships. Episodes will also be available through the recently launched MS NOW Membership service and on the network’s YouTube channel.
“We have long valued our relationship with the 92nd Street Y and the thoughtful conversations it brings to its community, many of them moderated by MS NOW’s own journalists and anchors,” Madeleine Haeringer, MS NOW’s senior vice president of digital, audio and longform, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to further deepen that partnership through this launch and bring their programming to the MS NOW audience.”
The collaboration builds on an existing relationship between the network’s talent and 92NY, whose Upper East Side stage regularly hosts conversations with figures spanning politics, media, business and entertainment.
“For over 150 years, 92NY has been a global stage for deep, meaningful discourse and a home for the world’s most influential thought leaders,” 92NY CEO Seth Pinsky said. He added that the series is intended to give viewers more “context and nuance” around issues in the political landscape.
The launch is also the latest example of MS NOW parent Versant’s investment in programming that can travel across linear and digital platforms. The network recently launched its first direct-to-consumer membership offering, giving subscribers access to MS NOW programming along with other content and community features.
Earlier this year, MS NOW launched “Crooked on MS NOW,” a weekly compilation show drawing from Crooked Media’s podcast lineup, and more recently brought “Lovett or Leave It” to Saturdays for a special series. Half of “Crooked on MS NOW” viewers are new to MS NOW on Saturday nights, according to the network, while nearly two-thirds of its viewers under 55 are new to the network.
