MS NOW will take its annual live fan event outside New York for the first time this fall, bringing Rachel Maddow, Jen Psaki, Lawrence O’Donnell and more than a dozen of the network’s best-known personalities to the Lone Star State (the Dallas-Fort Worth area, to be specific) as it continues investing in audience engagement beyond linear television.
The network announced Tuesday that “MS NOW Live: Together in Texas” will be held Saturday, Sept. 26 at the University of Texas at Arlington’s College Park Center. Tickets go on sale Wednesday for the all-day event, which will feature live conversations with anchors, reporters, newsmakers and special guests ahead of this year’s midterm elections.
The lineup includes Maddow, O’Donnell, Psaki, Stephanie Ruhle, Chris Hayes, Ari Melber, Ali Velshi, Symone Sanders Townsend, Alicia Menendez, Jacob Soboroff, Eugene Daniels, Michael Steele, Luke Russert and Rev. Al Sharpton. Attendees can also purchase tickets to an evening community dinner featuring audience Q&As with Maddow and Psaki, a live taping of the podcast “Clock It with Symone & Eugene” and additional interactive programming.
The move comes as Texas has emerged as one of the country’s most closely watched political battlegrounds heading into November’s midterm elections. The network said it chose the state because many of the nation’s biggest debates — including democracy, voting rights, immigration, education and the economy — are playing out there.
The event is also part of MS NOW’s broader strategy under Versant to deepen its relationship with viewers across television, digital, podcasts and live experiences. Every ticket includes a one-year subscription to the network’s forthcoming membership platform, which is expected to launch later this summer and will offer exclusive content, community features and expanded access to network talent.
“As today marks 30 years since MS NOW launched, one of the things that makes this organization special is the connection our audiences have with our trusted hosts and reporters,” MS NOW President Rebecca Kutler wrote in a memo to network staff announcing the event. “While this is our biggest live event yet, it’s also part of something much bigger.”
Kutler said the Texas gathering reflects the network’s continued growth beyond linear television and will help set the stage for the upcoming membership offering, which is designed to give audiences additional ways to engage with the brand and its journalists.
The Texas event marks the third annual edition of MS NOW Live and the first time the gathering has been held outside the New York area. The announcement coincides with the 30th anniversary of the network formerly known as MSNBC.