MSNBC’s Outlandish Demands Over Network Name

inct brand identities, and establish an independent news organization following the spin.”Several other cable networks that are moving over to Versant as part of the rebrand, including CNBC, Golf Channel, and SportsEngine, will also drop the peacock logo as the company separates itself from NBC News, which will remain under Comcast.The CNBC acronym, which stands for Consumer News and Business Channel, will remain, but it will be getting a new logo.Former chairman of NBCUniversal, Mark Lazarus, was appointed prospective CEO of Versant. NBC/Charles Sykes/NBCUniversal via G ‘E! News’ TV Program to End After 34 YearsEND OF AN ERAEboni Boykin-PattersonRebecca Kutler, MSNBC’s president, also discussed the shake-up at the network in a Monday memo to employees. “I want to acknowledge that for many of you who have spent years or decades here, it is hard to imagine the network by any other name,” Kutler said. “This was not a decision that was made quickly or without significant debate.”On Monday, a post on MSNBC’s news site acknowledged that “it may be hard to imagine this network by any other name” than the one it’s had since 1996.“We understand. But our promise to you remains as it always has. You know who we are, and what we do,” the post added. “Regardless of our name, our commitment to this community remains as strong as it’s ever been and in the months ahead we will unveil new ways to connect with you directly.”The message ended by quoting a rather different line from Maddow: “Watch this space.”Maddow herself has previously said she supported the MSNBC and NBC split, telling tech journalist Kara Swisher in a podcast that it would allow employees to “apply our own instincts, our own queries, our own priorities, to getting stuff that we need from reporters and correspondents,” via The Washington Post.A specified timeframe for when the changes will take place was not announced, but it is expected by the end of the year.