“We might all be fired a yr from now,” Morning Joe cohost Joe Scarborough quipped Wednesday morning whereas addressing some big news on the house entrance, which is that Comcast plans to spin off its NBCUniversal cable TV networks, together with MSNBC. “Or tomorrow,” cohost Mika Brzezinski chimed in.
The cohosts have been, presumably, joking concerning the implications of Comcast’s plan, although the on-air dialog concerning the unstable nature of the cable information enterprise spoke to the underlying nervousness inside 30 Rock about what the long run holds for MSNBC. The community’s scores have plummeted since Donald Trump’s victory earlier this month, and Scarborough and Brzezinski already set off alarms earlier this week in revealing they trekked to Mar-a-Lago to “restart communications” with the president-elect, whom they’ve referred to as out over his authoritarian, even “fascist,” rhetoric. Some loyal Morning Joe viewers have been appalled by the obvious détente with Trump.
It’s underneath that considerably ominous backdrop that MSNBC president Rashida Jones and NBCUniversal Media Group chairman Mark Lazarus, who will helm the brand new spin-off firm, addressed senior leaders, producers, anchors, and hosts, together with Rachel Maddow, Katy Tur, and Chris Jansing, in keeping with sources current. Through the Wednesday morning assembly, Lazarus assured employees the plan was to “unlock the worth” of the cable property, in keeping with one supply current.
Whereas the supply says that the assembly was extra constructive than anticipated, there may be anticipated to be a whole lot of sophisticated logistical work to return in separating MSNBC from NBC Information, given the shared assets between two entities, from correspondents and discipline producers to close by management rooms. Lazarus didn’t present all of the specifics for the spin-off, which, in keeping with the Comcast press release, is predicted to take round a yr to finish. It’s unsure if the cable information channel would maintain NBC in its identify, the supply says, use its iconic Peacock emblem, or stay in 30 Rock.
“There aren’t any ornaments on this tree for the time being. We now have to attend to see what this really means,” the supply says, including that MSNBC is “no worse off” than yesterday. Nonetheless, the supply notes that a few of their “colleagues suppose we’re on the way in which to the dumpster,” which might stem from the “regular uncertainty that comes with all change.”
An MSNBC spokesperson declined to remark.
There have been some indicators of optimism. Maddow, in keeping with a second supply, stated that it was nice to have Lazarus “right here on day one.” Lazarus individually met with others inside MSNBC, taking questions from staffers and, maybe, serving to reassure the rank-and-file.
The Mar-a-Lago sit-down has prompted blended reactions contained in the community, according to CNN media analyst and Vainness Honest contributor Brian Stelter, who writes that some staffers identified the worth of entry to the president-elect, as others “stated the assembly was a troubling early signal of capitulation” to Trump. “Normalizing Trump is a foul concept,” Katie Phang, an NBC Information and MSNBC authorized correspondent, wrote in a submit on X that was perceived as a jab on the hosts’ journey.
Stelter reported that Scarborough and Brzezinski have been “credibly involved” about going through retribution from the Trump administration. A second supply tells me that Brzezinski and Scarborough have the “assist of community management.”
The president-elect has repeatedly singled out individual journalists, disparaging their credibility on social media, barring them from briefings in his first time period and even calling for main broadcast organizations to have their licenses stripped. His choose to supervise the Federal Communications Fee, Brendan Carr, appears to be prepared to hold out his priorities, having already taken purpose at TV organizations over their supposed political bias. Moreover, final week, Trump ally Steve Bannon said on his podcast that MSNBC staffers must be ready for legal retribution, with former Consultant Matt Gaetz accountable for the Division of Justice if authorized, warning them to “lawyer up.”
Whereas MSNBC’s opinion hosts have been central to what was usually dubbed “resistance” media throughout Trump’s first time period, it’s unclear if viewers will keep glued to what is going to absolutely be a tumultuous information setting. It’s been a disappointing month for the community as a complete, which has seen ratings hemorrhage. Final week, in keeping with Nielsen figures, prime-time scores dropped 48% in whole viewership and 54% within the 25-54 demographic, in comparison with the community’s yearly common to this point.
