MSNBC staffers are feeling “cautiously optimistic” about the network’s future as it prepares to navigate new territory following its separation from NBC News. However, the channel’s freshly unveiled name hasn’t exactly been met with enthusiasm.
On Monday, MSNBC revealed its new name: MS NOW, an acronym for “My Source for News, Opinion, and the World.”
“I saw someone joke on social media that, at this rate, we’ll end up calling it MS-13, which I actually found pretty funny,” one MSNBC staffer told Fox News Digital.
MSNBC staffers are split over the network’s newly announced name, “MS NOW.” (Versant)
Last year, Comcast announced plans to spin off its cable networks into a separate company, now officially named Versant. Versant will serve as the new home for MSNBC, CNBC, USA Network, Oxygen, E!, SYFY, and the Golf Channel, among other assets, while NBCUniversal will retain control of NBC News, the NBC News Now streaming service, Telemundo, and Bravo.
“I don’t get it,” one staffer admitted. “If we were going to change our name, I thought we’d make it meaningful. This doesn’t feel meaningful at all.”
The staffer criticized the full title, MS NOW, calling it grammatically incorrect and pointing out that while “news” and “opinion” are standard terms in journalism, “world” is not — since world events would naturally fall under news and opinion.
They also noted that “MS” — long used as the network’s internal nickname — is arguably the least relevant part of the new name. The abbreviation originally stood for Microsoft, NBC’s former partner in launching the network, but that partnership ended back in 2012.
“I assume we hired experts for this, and it’s a little puzzling,” the staffer added. “I just hope this isn’t a sign of how decisions will be made going forward.”
A second MSNBC insider said they understood the logic behind keeping the initials similar for the sake of brand familiarity with loyal viewers, but admitted that MS NOW was “far from perfect.” A third insider, however, actually supported the name change.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump weighed in on the announcement, blasting the network and saying MSNBC is a “failure by any name.”
Although MS NOW has faced a rocky debut on social media, staffers remain hopeful as they prepare for the split from NBC.
“The media world — especially traditional media — is so fractured right now, and things are evolving so quickly that I think it’s a wait-and-see situation,” said one NBC insider. “The leadership wants to be entrepreneurial. They know they’ll be able to take risks that weren’t possible under NBC.”
The insider also highlighted the massive bureaucracy that MSNBC shows have faced under Comcast and NBC, especially when trying to expand programming or secure larger budgets.
“Just layer after layer after layer,” they said.
MSNBC staffers are feeling optimistic about parting ways with their NBC News colleagues as the corporate split moves forward. (Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty Images; Shannon Finney/NBC via Getty Images; Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
Tensions between NBC News and its more progressive cable counterpart came to a head last year after the controversial, short-lived hiring of former Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel as a political analyst.
While NBC touted McDaniel’s hiring as a strategic win for the organization, MSNBC hosts pushed back fiercely. During her on-air debut, McDaniel endured a tense, uncomfortable interview with her new “colleague,” Kristen Welker, on Meet the Press, where Welker pressed her about her role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election and her unwavering support for Donald Trump.
MSNBC personalities — from Morning Joe hosts to Nicolle Wallace to Rachel Maddow — publicly criticized the decision, forcing NBC to reverse course. McDaniel was let go less than a week later, and NBCUniversal News Group chairman Cesar Conde issued an apology to staff, acknowledging the embarrassing misstep and the disconnect between NBC’s leadership and MSNBC’s values.
“It was a clunky move,” one insider said. “NBC had dozens of better options — people who were sympathetic to the Republican Party and even Trump’s policies — without all the baggage McDaniel carried.”
NBC’s brief decision to hire former RNC chair Ronna McDaniel as a contributor triggered outrage among MSNBC’s liberal hosts. (Screenshot/NBC)
Despite the turmoil, one MSNBC insider says they remain “cautiously optimistic” about the network’s future after separating from NBC News.
“I honestly think losing the NBC branding is a good thing for us,” the insider explained. “NBC is going to be a target of this administration and will constantly worry about protecting its reputation and maintaining access. The less we’re tied to NBC, the better.”
They added that staying under NBC’s umbrella felt restrictive. “We weren’t free to do what we wanted without angering Comcast or NBC,” they said. “Eventually, it was going to lead to Trump suing NBC or threatening to revoke licenses over something we said. I’ve always believed we’d be better off on our own.”
A fourth insider told Fox News Digital that some MSNBC staffers jokingly referred to Monday’s announcement as “Independence Day,” celebrating the network’s freedom from its broadcast sibling.
Meanwhile, MSNBC is undergoing a major hiring spree to compensate for losing access to NBC’s newsroom resources. As part of the split, NBC keeps the facilities, meaning MSNBC will leave Rockefeller Center in New York and vacate NBC’s Washington, D.C., bureau near the U.S. Capitol.
Looking ahead, the first staffer predicted that MS NOW will likely “struggle” when it launches this fall, especially with daytime programming, but believes the network will find its footing by January.
“You’re going to see the lack of news-gathering most in our reporting and our dayside programming, which relies heavily on reporters,” they explained. “That’s where we’ll struggle — but dayside has been struggling anyway. Primetime, on the other hand, will be fine. We’ve got plenty of contributors and free guests, so that part will keep running smoothly.”
