MSNBC staffers ‘in a panic’ as NBC-parent Comcast plans to spin off channel — and possibly change its name – nypost Source Link Excerpt:
Panic engulfed MSNBC headquarters 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 Post.
Staffers fearing looming layoffs peppered him with questions about whether 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.
Anxious MSNBC staffers and anchors met with NBCUniversal chairman Mark Lazarus about the plans to spin off the network. Virginia Sherwood/MSNBC via Getty Images
Lazarus told MSNBC staffers he wasn’t sure whether the network would have to change its identity or its home, according to insiders.
“Everyone is in a panic because everything is up in the air,” one MSNBC source told The Post.
