MSNBC’s Willie Geist, a regular fill-in on NBC’s “Today,” and long rumored to be a possible addition to the anchor team there, is making the move official. According to Brian Stelter in the NY Times, this week Geist will be officially announced as co-anchor of the 9 AM hour. He will also serve as a primary fill-in for Matt Lauer.

Mr. Geist will retain a role on “Morning Joe,” likely during the 6 a.m. hour, according to the people with knowledge of his new deal. He will stop hosting “Way Too Early,” the 5:30 a.m. newscast that has preceded “Morning Joe” for the last few years.

Mr. Geist’s existing contract was set to expire at the end of the month. There was talk about his possibly jumping to the lower-rated morning shows on CBS or CNN. But he decided to stay within NBC, where he was hired seven years ago to produce Tucker Carlson’s MSNBC talk show.