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MSNBC is saying goodbye to its name and switching to MS NOW on Saturday, November 15. The network’s president, Rebecca Kutler, announced the news to staffers on Monday in an internal memo, saying, “This moment comes after months of meticulous planning and thoughtful collaboration across every corner of our organization.” The monumental move comes as MSNBC is in the final stages of severing its ties with the NBCUniversal News Group and operating as an independent news network under Versant. MS NOW stands for My Source for News, Opinion, and the World. When the name change was announced in August, Versant CEO Mark Lazarus said the new name “underscores the brand’s mission to serve as the destination for domestic and international breaking news and the best-in-class opinion journalism.” MSNBC has built a newsgathering operation from the ground up, hiring numerous journalists on-air and off-air, enabling the network to stop relying on NBC News correspondents and crews for all of its domestic and international coverage. This effort took off beginning the week of October 20. Leading up to the name change, MSNBC will begin airing 15-second promos featuring its on-air talent, reinforcing the network’s brand promise with a bold tagline: “Same Mission. New Name.” The network will also unveil an external ad campaign during the first week of November, described by Kutler as an “extensive and broad-reaching national marketing effort to introduce people across the country to MS NOW.” The switch to MS NOW should also coincide with the start of broadcasting its shows from its temporary news facilities as it seeks a permanent home in New York City. The temporary setup will be located in the former BuzzFeed News offices. The company also completed its move to new offices in its Washington, D.C. bureau, joining its CNBC colleagues one floor above NBC News. MSNBC has undergone several changes since the announcement of its separation from NBCU, including the departure of former network head Rashida Jones; the appointment of the current president, Kutler; and a changing programming lineup that impacted both weekday and weekend schedules. MSNBC, CNBC, and their other Comcast linear siblings will officially become Versant beginning Jan. 1, 2026. CNBC will still retain its name as it originally stood for the “Consumer News and Business Channel.” In addition, all networks that feature the peacock in their logos will receive new logos, including CNBC and Golf Channel. Audiences seeking additional information about MSNBC’s name change can visit msnbc.com/MSNOW.
