Ed Schultz in Madison Preparing for His Live Broadcasts on the Wisconsin Recalls (Photo credit: Madison Guy)

By Marisa Guthrie

Ed Schultz will move back to weekdays in the 5 p.m. slot beginning Aug. 26, the network is set to announce on Monday. The move comes less than five months after The Ed Show moved from 8 p.m. Monday-Friday to 5-7 p.m. on weekends. That announcement last March was preceded by months of media speculation that Schultz was losing the lead-off slot in MSNBC’s prime-time lineup. Schultz made the announcement on his show, saying there were “a number of personal and professional reasons” for the move to weekends.

“Ed has proven himself no matter where we’ve put him,” MSNBC president Phil Griffin told The Hollywood Reporter.

The latest schedule shift displaces the first airing of Hardball with Chris Matthews; currently Matthews’ show airs at 5 p.m. with a repeat at 7 p.m. Beginning Aug. 26, Hardball will have one run at 7 p.m. Hardball‘s 7 p.m. show traditionally gets higher ratings than the 5 p.m. premiere. And Griffin expects those numbers to improve after the move. The move makes MSNBC’s primetime lineup all new for the first time since the network’s shift to a political focus. “We’ve grown a lot in the last decade,” said Griffin, adding that Schultz “laughed a little” when he called to ask him to move back to weeknights.

Read More MSNBC Moves Ed Schultz Back to Weeknights (Exclusive).