There’s only one television program that I consider must-see tv. It airs Monday-Friday at 11 pm eastern/10 pm central on MSNBC. Brian Williams hosts “The 11th Hour.”

The end of the day recap of the news you can find anywhere. The conversations with panelists of national journalists, authors and politicians you can also find in many places. What makes “The 11th Hour” different and special is Brian Williams. His wit and the injection of his knowledge of many subjects keep the program from being mundane. He’ll regularly toss in a subtle shot at one of New York City’s pro football teams. Last week he discussed Bill Withers songs from the 1970s with a couple of guests. You have to be alert because you never know when he’ll come up with a sarcastic and funny remark…and the victim of those is often himself.

Williams recently announced he was leaving the program when his contract runs out at the end of the year. A twenty-eight-year run as an employee of NBC news will come to an end. He’s not retiring. As he said, he’ll pop up somewhere after spending some time with his family.

Williams mentioned that although he’s leaving, “The 11th Hour” will live on. The question is who is the best person to take over the reins of a program that is so important to MSNBC?

Their two best candidates are most likely not interested. Rachel Maddow already has a better shift, plus she’s looking to cut back on her daily workload. Nicolle Wallace has a young son with whom she likes to spend her evenings. Her two-hour afternoon program fits those personal needs.

Rumor has it that it may be Ali Velshi taking over the late evening slot, but I have a better candidate. Why not Shepard Smith?

After a twenty-three year run at Fox News, Smith suddenly left. The news division there was constantly at odds with their night-time hosts and apparently Shep had enough. It was a coup when NBC signed him last year. But, they’ve buried him on CNBC in the 7 pm eastern time slot. It’s time to give him a lot more exposure. “The 11th Hour” is the perfect spot and Shepard Smith is the perfect fit. It makes to much sense not to do it.

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