Peter Alexander Launches New Show, ‘State Of Play,’ On MS NOW

Building a Show on Relationships—and Reporting

While State of Play will follow the news of the day, it will also drive stories and break its own news. Alexander will turn to a deep bench of sources and contacts–in Washington and beyond–that he’s come to trust.

“I’ve been dialing left and right to sources that I’ve known over the years in an effort to try to parlay those relationships into them coming on,” he said. But don’t expect those insiders to be put into partisan panels for a few minutes of shouting.

“I think I really want to make it a news-driven, news-oriented show,” he told me. “I’m not trying to hit home runs on the first week…I just really want to be hitting base hits every day, which is to say, I want to produce a show each day that people watch and say, ‘That was good. I got something out of it, and I’ll watch again tomorrow.’”

“If I succeed, the people that matter are going to see that and respect that I’m a good faith arbiter of information,” he said. “And whether they’re a Democrat or a Republican, they’ll be comfortable talking to me, knowing that I’m not going to hold back as it relates to tough questions, no matter who you are, but that I’m also there to listen.”

Joining an Energized MS NOW

Alexander’s arrival marks another milestone in MS NOW’s expansion as an independent news network. Since splitting from NBC, the network has been rapidly expanding its newsgathering operation, particularly in Washington, where a dedicated bureau now powers programming across television, digital, social, and audio.

“There is an energy at MS NOW right now that is unmatched,” Alexander told me. “I’ve been most impressed by the colleagues, many of whom I have known, but others who I am now getting to know, and how smart they are, and how well sourced and informed.”

He rattles off names like Carol Leonnig, Jacob Soboroff, and Ali Vitali as examples of the “real deal reporters” he’s now working alongside–and will call on to bring expertise to State of Play. Alexander described his first days at MS NOW as something like joining ESPN just in time for a marquee event like the Super Bowl. “The ideas, the desire to get different voices representing different perspectives,” he said. “That’s fun for me. It’s intoxicating.”

‘I’m a reporter at the anchor desk’

At midday, Alexander will bring viewers through a key part of the news day–after the morning rush of politics on Morning Joe, but deep enough into the day that stories will already be brewing in Washington, on the just-getting-the-day-started West Coast, and Europe, where the workday is winding down.

“Morning Joe kind of sets the table and Rachel (Maddow) and the others kind of get to wrap things up by day’s end, but in the middle of the day, we get to plant a flag and get to drive the conversation as news is developing,” Alexander said. “And a lot of news breaks during that hour, those hours…I’m excited to be put in that position and to have that opportunity. I expect often to be a part of news as it’s happening, and hopefully, to inform our coverage with my reporting. I really don’t view myself as an anchor. I’m a reporter at the anchor desk.”

He also hopes longtime viewers who came to know him at the White House or on Today show will watch the new show as he and his team get started. “I think they’ll appreciate that I’m a hardworking journalist who cares about his community and his country, and is trying to do a good job each day,” he said, “and hopefully they’ll appreciate my integrity and loyalty to that effort.”

‘I’m a normal guy. I just want to do the best I can.’

As the father of two daughters, Alexander thinks a lot about how journalism has changed since he was a kid, and how he can keep younger viewers engaged and informed.

“What we do matters now more than ever,” he said. “My kids are growing up in a world where they’re not going to get news the same way I did, but there remains a real responsibility for people, and I count myself among those, to keep producing good journalism each day, so that it’s out there, even if there’s a lot more noise competing, you know, for the eyes and ears of people at home.”

That means doing his work in a way that he can feel good about it when he sits down with his family to catch up and eat.

“I’m a normal guy,” he said. “I just want to do the best I can and come home at the end of the day and feel proud that I was a good faith actor and hopefully made people a little smarter.”

State of Play with Peter Alexander premieres Monday, Aug. 10 at 11 a.m. ET on MS NOW.