Staffers Panic At MSNBC

The future of the relationship between NBC News and MSNBC, following Comcast’s decision to spinoff its cable networks on Wednesday, is now a mystery — even to those working at 30 Rock.

Panic engulfed MSNBC headquarters on Wednesday after parent company Comcast confirmed a massive spinoff of its cable properties — with a top executive even suggesting the left-leaning network may be forced to change its name.

MSNBC stars Rachel Maddow, Chris Jansing and Katy Tur joined a tense 10 a.m. meeting at 30 Rock in Midtown led by NBCUniversal chairman Mark Lazarus, who will lead the new company, sources told The NY Post.

Staffers fearing looming layoffs peppered him with questions about if the network will need to change its name, logos and headquarters after reports surfaced that the new entity could be cut off from the reporting muscle of NBC News, sources said.

The Wrap/Pro reports editorial staffers are “in the dark” on what the spinoff means for the NBC News-MSNBC connection moving forward.

The expectation, though, is that the two news teams will no longer work together, once the spinoff takes place in 2025.

Mark Lazarus

Comcast’s spinoff plan will create a separate company, aptly dubbed SpinCo, that houses CNBC, MSNBC, E!, Golf Channel, Oxygen, and Syfy. Combined, those channels generated $7 billion in sales between September 2023 and September 2024. Comcast will retain its Peacock streaming service, Bravo and NBC — which includes its news division.

The deal, which is expected to take about a year to complete, will likely sever ties between MSNBC and NBC News, one of its major news gathering arteries. How MSNBC will adjust will be worth monitoring — whether it’s beefing up its own news gathering team or leaning more into commentary from talking heads.

Another real possibility is that MSNBC will revamp its on-air lineup. The cable channel enjoyed a strong Election Night, beating CNN in the ratings for the first time ever, but its viewership has since cratered by 51% following the election. The corporate changes, combined with the ratings drop off, has MSNBC talent like “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough questioning their longterm future at the channel.

The man tasked with leading MSNBC going forward is Mark Lazarus, the current chairman of NBCUniversal’s media group who was named CEO of SpinCo on Wednesday.