Rita Cosby: Live and Direct is a news/talk program which aired nightly on MSNBC.
Hosted by Rita Cosby, Rita Cosby: Live and Direct consisted of breaking news reports and rare interviews. It largely emphasized getting the big stories and exclusives.
Airing Monday through Thursday at 10pm ET, it also replayed in late night, at 1 a.m. ET. It originally aired at 9pm ET, and in that timeslot was the network's highest-rated program. Later, it switched time-slots with Scarborough Country a few months before it was canceled. Cosby’s shows originated from key areas around the globe, including from New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region to report on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, as well as from Afghanistan and along the extensive US-Mexico border.
The show's final air date was July 7, 2006. Cosby continued at the network as a lead host and senior correspondent until leaving in April 2007.