Why MS NOW? What the MSNBC name change means for viewers

Starting Saturday, NBCUniversal’s cablegram quality transmission MSNBC volition beryllium called MS NOW, a makeover that whitethorn travel arsenic a daze to its loyal audience.

It’s wherefore each MSNBC big has been sending the aforesaid connection successful promotional spots, connected their programs and successful property interviews astir the caller moniker. They say: We’re not going anyplace and we’re not changing.

“ ‘Morning Joe’ volition inactive beryllium ‘Morning Joe,’ ” said the program’s co-host Joe Scarborough successful a caller Zoom conversation. “Chris Hayes volition inactive beryllium Chris Hayes. Rachel Maddow volition inactive beryllium Rachel. Lawrence O’Donnell volition inactive beryllium Lawrence.”

“We’re conscionable going to support doing what we do,” added Scarborough’s woman and co-host, Mika Brzezinski.

While nary programming changes are planned, the rebranding volition beryllium a trial successful an property erstwhile marque consciousness is hard to execute arsenic the media marketplace is highly fractured. MSNBC kept its sanction for 29 years adjacent aft its founding spouse Microsoft gave up its involvement successful the network.

Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough connected “Morning Joe.”

(MSNBC)

MS NOW — an acronym for “My Source for News, Opinion and the World” — is the effect of the politically progressive web being spun disconnected into a institution called Versant. Parent institution Comcast announced the determination past twelvemonth arsenic it nary longer wants the slow, dependable diminution of the cablegram concern holding backmost its banal price. Versant, which besides includes CNBC, USA Network, Oxygen, E! and Golf Channel, volition beryllium its ain publically traded institution starting successful January.

The caller ownership for MSNBC led to a separation from NBC News, which operated MSNBC since its motorboat successful 1996. Although Versant enactment initially said the sanction would remain, NBCUniversal wanted to debar having the network’s marque attached to a transmission it nary longer controlled.

Versant executives volition apt beryllium tense erstwhile they look astatine the Nielsen ratings the archetypal fewer weeks aft the sanction change. But Julie Doughty, determination enforcement manager of naming and verbal individuality for the planetary marque consulting steadfast Landor, believes the displacement is insignificant capable for consumers to get utilized to quickly.

“I’m definite they were acrophobic astir disrupting the marque consciousness they’ve built and losing the legitimacy and gravitas of the NBC name,” Doughty said. “This caller sanction intimately tracks the original. It has the aforesaid fig of letters. MS is inactive successful the front, which is simply a bully spot of continuity for those customers who already conscionable shorten the sanction to MS.”

Doughty added, “The existent trial volition travel successful the content. Will it proceed to person precocious standards and merit their spot arsenic a mainstream caller source?”

The web appeared to walk its archetypal large trial arsenic a freestanding quality enactment with sum of the Nov. 4 off-year predetermination that saw a beardown showing for the Democrats and the transition of the legislature redistricting proposition successful California.

Nielsen information showed MSNBC finished good up of CNN connected the nighttime and conscionable somewhat down perennial cablegram quality ratings person Fox News.

MSNBC becomes MS NOW connected Nov. 15.

(MSNBC)

MS NOW executives accidental they stay committed to covering breaking news, staffing the channel’s ain Washington bureau and entering news-gathering agreements with Sky for planetary sum and AccuWeather. A fig of NBC News journalists, including White House analogous Vaughn Hillyard, justness and quality analogous Ken Dilanian and nationalist analogous Jacob Soboroff, moved to MS NOW with the content determination volition beryllium much opportunities for expansive reporting.

“I won’t accidental their names, but immoderate of the champion reporters astatine NBC are acold much disappointed with this than we are,” Scarborough said. “Their model conscionable went from having 30 minutes connected ‘Morning Joe,’ wherever influencers are, to 35 seconds connected a greeting amusement oregon possibly a dependable wound connected ‘NBC Nightly News.’”

The web is leaning heavy into promoting its lineup of personalities who successful the existent epoch of divided authorities service arsenic tribal leaders for the audience.

“One of the things that truthful impressed maine 3 years agone erstwhile I joined MS was the extent of the narration with the fans,” MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler said astatine a caller property meal astatine the network’s caller office successful Midtown Manhattan erstwhile occupied by the New York Times. “Eight hours a week — that is simply a ton of clip and that is however overmuch radical ticker us.”

The lone signature MSNBC endowment who chose to spell with NBC News is governmental expert Steve Kornacki. Willie Geist volition stay big of NBC’s “Sunday Today” successful summation to his duties connected “Morning Joe.”

MSNBC on-air personalities judge the deficiency of a ample firm proprietor volition beryllium freeing astatine a clip erstwhile journalism organizations and their genitor companies are fearing the wrath of President Trump and his threats of business-related retribution implicit sum helium doesn’t like.

Last period astatine an MSNBC instrumentality lawsuit successful Manhattan, Maddow stirred up the assemblage by touting the network’s editorial independence. She called the web a “nontoxic workplace” that is “at nary hazard of right-wing bloggers who are immoderate billionaire’s friend.”

The remark was a notation to Bari Weiss, laminitis of anti-”woke” website the Free Press, who was hired to beryllium exertion successful main of CBS News and is simply a wide favourite of genitor institution Paramount’s main executive, David Ellison.

Scarborough and Brzezinski said they person noticed however fans greet them with a spot much strength since Trump has returned to the White House.

“When radical spot america connected the thoroughfare oregon the airport, they hug america a small longer and they convey america a small more,” Scarborough said. “They inquire if everything is going to beryllium OK.”

Scarborough said the caller firm setup volition let much entrepreneurial opportunities for the on-air endowment successful different platforms specified arsenic newsletters, podcasts and unrecorded events.