José Díaz-Balart may have two brothers who have been Republican congressmen, but he's joining the Democrats' favorite news network. The Telemundo news veteran is making the jump to English airwaves by hosting a daily 10 a.m. MSNBC show from Miami.
The show will begin airing in mid-June, but Dîaz-Balart will continue with his duties at Telemundo's "Noticiero Telemundo" and "Enfoque con José Díaz-Balart." Both Telemundo and MSNBC share a parent company in NBC.
He'll be replacing Chris Jansing, who will become NBC News' chief White House correspondent.
"MSNBC is committed to engaging new audiences and communities. To that end, I've been talking with José for several months about bringing his voice to MSNBC," said network President Phil Griffin in a statement released to Media Bistro. "He has a keen understanding of the political landscape and three decades of experience in both broadcast and cable news."
Díaz-Balart is the younger brother of both current Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart and retired Rep. Lincoln Díaz-Balart. While it might seem odd to have a member of a Republican dynasty joining MSNBC's lineup, Díaz-Balart's show will air just an hour after the conclusion of Morning Joe with Joe Scarborough, another former Republican Congressman from Florida. The format will also not be opinion-heavy like the network's primetime lineup.
The show will become the only program on the three major cable news nets regularly broadcast from Miami.
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