MSNBC will change name to MS NOW as parent company Comcast plans to separate it from NBCUniversal.
The name, which stands for My Source for News Opinion and the World, will take effect later this year, once the network becomes part of the new media company, Versant.
A memo, obtained by Variety and The New York Times, said MSNBC had wanted to retain its brand and iconic peacock logo but that those will be going with NBCU as part of the rebranding.
“As we all know, the peacock is synonymous with NBCUniversal, and it is a symbol they have decided to keep within the NBCU family,” Versant CEO Mark Lazarus wrote.
“This gives us the opportunity to chart our own path forward, create distinct brand identities, and establish an independent news organization following the spin.”
Several other cable networks that are moving over to Versant as part of the rebrand, including CNBC, Golf Channel, and SportsEngine, will also drop the peacock logo as the company separates itself from NBC News, which will remain under Comcast.
The CNBC acronym, which stands for Consumer News and Business Channel, will remain, but it will be getting a new logo.
Rebecca Kutler, MSNBC’s president, also discussed the shake-up at the network in a Monday memo to employees.
“I want to acknowledge that for many of you who have spent years or decades here, it is hard to imagine the network by any other name,” Kutler said. “This was not a decision that was made quickly or without significant debate.”
On Monday, a post on MSNBC’s news site acknowledged that “it may be hard to imagine this network by any other name” than the one it’s had since 1996.
“We understand. But our promise to you remains as it always has. You know who we are, and what we do,” the post added. “Regardless of our name, our commitment to this community remains as strong as it’s ever been and in the months ahead we will unveil new ways to connect with you directly.”
The message ended by quoting a line from one of MSNBC’s biggest stars, Rachel Maddow: “Watch this space.”
Maddow herself has supported the MSNBC and NBC split, telling tech journalist Kara Swisher in a podcast it would allow employees to “apply our own instincts, our own queries, our own priorities, to getting stuff that we need from reporters and correspondents,” via The Washington Post.
A specified timeframe for when the changes will take place was not announced, but it is expected by the end of the year.
