# MSNBC changing its name to MSNOW **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 18, 2025, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-changing-its-name-to-msnow/1022243 "2025-08-18T22:39:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2025, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-changing-its-name-to-msnow/1022243/1 "2025-08-18T22:39:03Z")
It’s due to a recent “corporate divorce” from NBC, and MSNOW will stand for “My Source News Opinion World.” Name and logo changes should be occurring soon. > **[MSNBC will change its name later this year](https://www.kwqc.com/2025/08/18/msnbc-will-change-its-name-later-this-year/?fbclid=IwY2xjawMQiX5leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETExN09CMkYxSUxBSzhuV090AR7dcl_poit_FD-UYrKj2E-1-c9jbd4KJJn1meWdPwoPrEwNPiRLC3advLzgZg_aem_%5C_-5iPIeUY8PnWMKb8cneGg)** > > MSNBC is changing its name. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2025, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-changing-its-name-to-msnow/1022243/2 "2025-08-18T22:39:20Z")
Weak. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2025, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-changing-its-name-to-msnow/1022243/3 "2025-08-18T22:46:26Z")
…so they keep the “Microsoft” part of the name and lose the NBC part, even though it hasn’t been Microsoft for _years_. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2025, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-changing-its-name-to-msnow/1022243/4 "2025-08-18T23:22:21Z")
Sorta. NBC is a very recognizable trademark. MS is slang for lots of things. It’s not now, and never was, an official term or trademark for Microsoft. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2025, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-changing-its-name-to-msnow/1022243/5 "2025-08-18T23:32:20Z")
> [@susan](#): > > Weak. And lame, doubtless brainstormed by an ‘executive creative team’, generated by a backronym tool, and filtered through numerous focus groups of people with nothing better to do than get scooped up off the street for the promise of a cheap lunch. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > MS is slang for lots of things. It’s not now, and never was, an official term or trademark for Microsoft. Yeah, it’s most commonly an abbreviation for multiple sclerosis. So, MSNOW sounds like a foundation to raise money for medical research. Which is definitely where I want to go for news and opinion. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2025, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-changing-its-name-to-msnow/1022243/6 "2025-08-18T23:38:10Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > It’s not now, and never was, an official term or trademark for Microsoft. …its literally where the MS part came from. > **[MSNBC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MSNBC)** > > MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts rolling news coverage and liberal-leaning political commentary. On August 18, 2025, it was announced that it would be rebranding to "MS NOW" (My Source News Opinion World) later in 2025. > MSNBC was originally established as part of a joint venture betwee... > [@](#): > > MSNBC was originally established as part of a joint venture between [NBC News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBC_News) and [Microsoft](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft) (with its name being a [portmanteau](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portmanteau) of [MSN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MSN) and [NBC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBC)), encompassing the channel and the news website [MSNBC.com](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBCNews.com). Microsoft divested its stake in the channel in 2005, followed by the website in 2012; the website was then rebranded as [NBCNews.com](http://NBCNews.com) to associate it more closely with the NBC News division, leaving [MSNBC.com](http://MSNBC.com) to become a website for the channel and its opinion content. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2025, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-changing-its-name-to-msnow/1022243/7 "2025-08-18T23:38:43Z")
I remember MS-DOS > **[MS-DOS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS-DOS)** > > MS-DOS (/ˌɛmˌɛsˈdɒs/ em-es-DOSS; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few operating systems attempting to be compatible with MS-DOS, are sometimes referred to as "DOS" (which is also the generic acronym for disk operating system). MS-DOS was the main operating system for IBM PC compatibles during the 1980s, from wh... ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2025, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-changing-its-name-to-msnow/1022243/8 "2025-08-18T23:52:57Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …its literally where the MS part came from. I’m sorta astonished that anyone older than 40 didn’t know this. It was _always_ “Microsoft NBC”. ETA: Perhaps more accurately, it was MSN+NBC (Microsoft Network + NBC). Their logo for a long time was some variant of this: [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/MSNBC_logo_%282000-2006%29.png) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/MSNBC_logo_%282000-2006%29.png) ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2025, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-changing-its-name-to-msnow/1022243/9 "2025-08-19T00:04:06Z")
New Coke! It will solve everything! ---
**Author:** ![mtnmatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a3d4f5/32.png) [@mtnmatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mtnmatt)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2025, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-changing-its-name-to-msnow/1022243/10 "2025-08-19T00:09:13Z")
MSNOW sounds like a National Organization for Women honoree ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2025, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-changing-its-name-to-msnow/1022243/11 "2025-08-19T00:29:14Z")
It stands for “My Source News Opinion World.” A pretty tortured backronym, IMHO [![](https://www.usatoday.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2025/08/18/USAT/85707917007-ms-now-logo-tag-0818-1.png?width=660&height=372&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp) ](https://www.usatoday.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2025/08/18/USAT/85707917007-ms-now-logo-tag-0818-1.png?width=660&height=372&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp) ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2025, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-changing-its-name-to-msnow/1022243/12 "2025-08-19T00:35:06Z")
It’s barely even coherent. Is it “News Opinion World”, like here is the place where you can get all of your news opinions? That would be an explicit acknowledgement that they’ve abandoned any pretense of presenting facts, or even a pretense that there is such a thing as news that isn’t an opinion. But the text below shows “News | Opinion | World”, like they’re separate things. Ok, so they have News, and they have Opinion, and they have… World? What does that mean? One can have news about the world, but isn’t that just news? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2025, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-changing-its-name-to-msnow/1022243/13 "2025-08-19T00:35:21Z")
Clearly the MS in MSNBC originally stood for Microsoft. That’s also not the/my point. Since Microsoft bailed out of MSNBC decades ago, the MS has _not_ stood for Microsoft. The MS in MSNOW equally won’t. No more than the “NOW” part will stand for the National Organization of Women. Is MSNOW a rather tortured example of historical corporate evolution and focus group-think? You bet it is. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2025, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-changing-its-name-to-msnow/1022243/14 "2025-08-19T00:40:55Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Since Microsoft bailed out of MSNBC decades ago, the MS has _not_ stood for Microsoft. Maybe not officially, but it’s no different than Kentucky Fried Chicken rebranding to KFC. Of course it still stands for that, even if they deny it. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2025, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-changing-its-name-to-msnow/1022243/15 "2025-08-19T00:45:28Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > the MS has _not_ stood for Microsoft. …but it _did_. Which was why I said “it hasn’t been Microsoft for _years_.” I was just pointing out they are keeping the two letters that didn’t mean anything any more and losing the “National Broadcasting Company” part, which has a legacy spanning decades. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2025, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-changing-its-name-to-msnow/1022243/16 "2025-08-19T00:51:49Z")
> [@mtnmatt](#): > > MSNOW sounds like a National Organization for Women honoree M Snow sounds like a blackmailer mentioned by Auguste Dupin. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2025, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-changing-its-name-to-msnow/1022243/17 "2025-08-19T00:54:48Z")
I can already see the RW sneers about “M Snowjob”. The jokes, they write themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2025, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-changing-its-name-to-msnow/1022243/18 "2025-08-19T00:55:38Z")
The logo looks a bit like PMS NOW. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2025, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-changing-its-name-to-msnow/1022243/19 "2025-08-19T00:58:12Z")
I agree that the full name sounds rather cumbersome. We’ll see how long it lasts. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2025, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-changing-its-name-to-msnow/1022243/20 "2025-08-19T01:06:19Z")
…It’s very much in the same vein as Musks Twitter/X rebrand. The amateurish logo, the new editorial direction, there is a LOT going on behind the scenes. I wouldn’t expect MSNOW to be regarded as the “liberal” news site any more, although it will keep up the pretence. Most people won’t even notice the difference. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msnbc-changing-its-name-to-msnow/1022243.md?page=2)