Pivot cancels ‘TakePart Live’
6:46 p.m. | Dec. 8, 2014
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Pivot TV has canceled its signature nightly program, "TakePart Live."
The show is hosted by Meghan McCain, Jacob Soboroff and Baratunde Thurston, and airs weeknights at 10 p.m. It will wind down over the next few weeks, with its final episode airing before the end of the year. Pivot is expected to try and find new roles for the hosts at the channel, though exactly what those roles may be remains unclear.
"We thank our hosts and producers, they are incredibly talented and we’re already in discussion to work with them in different ways so that they can continue to have a place on Pivot," representatives for Pivot said in a statement released to Capital.
"TakePart Live" was one of Pivot's launch programs in March, 2013 although it was revamped with a new format earlier this year. In addition to McCain, Soboroff and Thurston, Eddie Huang and Cara Santa Maria have served as hosts of the show, which is geared toward engaging millennials with current events.
Pivot TV is owned by Participant Media, which says its mantra is to create "content that is entertaining, commercial and high quality, while at the same time, inspiring and empowering audiences," according to a statement from Participant C.E.O. Jim Berk, made when the channel launched.
Pivot as a whole has had a tumultuous few months, with its president, Evan Shapiro, departing last month (he has since joined NBCUniversal in a senior executive capacity). Shapiro was replaced by Participant's Kent Rees, who became G.M. in November.
One source familar with the decision said that the show was canceled in part because "TakePart Live" was expensive to make, produced by Embassy Row Productions, which also produces programs like "Talking Dead" and "Watch What Happens live." Ultimately, the cost of the show, combined with the comparatively low viewership Pivot saw (the channel was not rated by Nielsen, suggesting low viewership), led to its cancellation.
