Gosh, we haven’t had a clunky name-change thrill like this since “HBO Max.” And it gets even better: The network’s full, given name is “My Source News Opinion World,” MS NOW for short. MSNBC originally got its name from a joint venture between Microsoft—which operated MSN—and NBC, retaining the moniker even after NBC parted ways with Microsoft. Now that neither Microsoft nor NBC will be involved, NBCUniversal “decided that our brand requires a new, separate identity,” Rebecca Kutler, MSNBC’s president, said in a memo to staff on Monday (via Deadline). “This decision now allows us to set our own course and assert our independence as we continue to build our own modern newsgathering operation.”
Somehow, the network’s best attempt at retaining some brand recognition while also building a “new, separate identity” is “My Source News Opinion World.” MS NOW isn’t so bad; it sounds like it could’ve been the name of an MSNBC spin-off app that became defunct after six months. CNBC is also moving over to Versant, but it will get to keep its name, which has always stood for “Consumer News and Business Channel.” But any of the Versant channels (like MSNBC and CNBC) that used the rainbow peacock branding will have to get new logos for the new era (per The New York Times).
Kutler said the decision to change MSNBC’s name was not made “quickly or without significant debate.” She wrote, “The future of our success is not tied to remaining within the NBC family and using the peacock as part of our identity. While our name will be changing, who we are and what we do will not. Our commitment to our work and our audiences will not waiver from what the brand promise has been for three decades.”
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