MSNBC Tuesday named David Shuster anchor of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, effective immediately.
The show 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, a look at the latest breaking news from Washington and the Obama transition, is broadcast live weekdays from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET on MSNBC. In addition to anchoring 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Shuster will continue to anchor breaking news coverage and report during the day on MSNBC.
"David's been our number one utility player, filling in during primetime and breaking news coverage and he's shown that he deserves his own program," MSNBC president Phil Griffin said in a prepared statement. "He brings passion and in-depth knowledge of Washington, which is a great resource as we lead viewers through this incredibly exciting time."
Shuster, an Emmy award-winning journalist with more than 16 years experience covering the nation's capital, was in the center of a controversy earlier this year that led to his temporary suspension from MSNBC.
During the election campaign back in February, while a substitute host on Tucker, Shuster said that Chelsea Clinton has been “pimped out” by the Democratic presidential campaign of her mother, Sen. Hillary Clinton (N.Y.).
Sen. Clinton was so irked she threatened to pull out of a scheduled debate on MSNBC, and the network suspended Shuster, who apologized on-air for his remarks.
Shuster, who joined MSNBC in 2002, this year anchored MSNBC's 4 p.m. broadcast and served as regular back-up host for Hardball with Chris Matthews, Countdownwith Keith Olbermann, and 1600 PennsylvaniaAvenue.
Shuster has anchored the network's breaking news coverage, including reports on the Mumbai terror attacks and nine straight hours of live coverage of Hurricane Ike as the storm came ashore and threatened Houston.
"After six years working with MSNBC primetime, I'm humbled by the opportunity to host my own show, and honored to join a line-up that includes Chris, Keith, and Rachel," Shuster said in a prepared statement. "As I transition into my own show, I'm particularly grateful to Chris for his support and encouragement during my years at 'Hardball' and now. I'm thrilled to get to work."
From 2002 to 2008, Shuster's primary responsibility at MSNBC had been correspondent for Hardball. Shuster filed more than 700 taped stories for MSNBC's premiere Washington show, leading Hardball's reporting on everything from campaign politics to the CIA leak investigation to Hurricane Katrina.
Shuster has also reported for NBC Nightly News and Today and has traveled extensively for NBC News and MSNBC. He reported live from Doha, Qatar at the start of the Iraq war; Baghdad, Iraq during Iraq's first elections; Rome, Italy during the convocation of the new Pope; and Biloxi, Mississippi as the eye of Hurricane Katrina passed overhead.
In August 2006, Shuster won the prestigious "Bugle Award" by the "Disabled American Veterans." Shuster was honored for his extensive coverage of the 2005 National Disabled American Veterans Winter Sports Clinic in Aspen, Colorado, including an hour long special that aired on MSNBC.
From 1996 to 2002, Shuster was a Washington-based correspondent for the Fox News Channel. He was at the Pentagon on 9/11 and led Fox's coverage of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan. During the 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.
From 1994 to 1996, Mr. Shuster was a political reporter for KATV (ABC) Little Rock, Arkansas. He led the station's coverage of "Whitewater," including the indictments, trial, and convictions of Arkansas Governor Jim Guy Tucker. Shuster's reporting on a manufactured housing scandal earned him a regional Emmy Award for investigative journalism.
Shuster began his journalism career in CNN's Washington bureau. From 1990 to 1994, he was an assignment editor and field producer, helping CNN cover the Persian Gulf War and the 1992 Presidential election campaign.
