On Monday morning, MSNBC announced a rebrand, noting that it will transition to MS NOW by the end of the calendar year.
The MS NOW brand is an acronym standing for “My Source for News, Opinion, and the World.”
The rebrand comes as NBCUniversal and the new Versant cable company — spun off by the conglomerate — attempt to create a distinction between the two entities.
Previously, MSNBC had shared that it planned to keep the name it has featured for nearly 30 years. However, in a memo to staffers on Monday morning, Versant CEO Mark Lazarus stated that the previous branding of MSNBC was essentially reclaimed by NBCUniversal as the two companies prepare to split.
“The peacock is synonymous with NBCUniversal, and it is a symbol they have decided to keep within the NBCU family,” Lazarus shared. “This gives us the opportunity to chart our own path forward, create distinct brand identities, and establish an independent news organization following the spin.”
After the announcement was made both on the air and online Monday morning, many took to social media to lambast the new brand. Few had good things to say about the rebrand, with some mocking the name and others dissecting potential problems with the logo.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
These “media react” articles are really funny! A clever way to push the site’s political leanings
Bart, this brand has no political agenda. We cover the media industry not politics. When a major outlet changes its brand identity and people across the business react, we share their opinions. If more on the other side were on social voicing their love and support for it, we’d add that too. We’d much rather offer a mix than one side but sometimes the reactions are what they are.
Then why were my comments on Scott Jennings censored
To my mind, NBC’s rep went up 100% when they dumped Megyn Kelly. She’s pointless but hasn’t realized it yet.