MSNBC May Lose The MS

from the and-be-called-what? dept

When Microsoft joined NBC in creating MSNBC years back, they thought they were going to be big players in the content business. That was a time when “content was king” and Microsoft wanted to be wearing the crown. However, most of Microsoft’s efforts haven’t gone very far, and they’ve decided that content is best left to someone else. So, now come the rumors that they’re selling their stake in MSNBC to NBC — which is going to make everyone wonder what the media property will be called. NBC is already taken, obviously. They could wipe out the MS and tack on a “News” at the end (a la FoxNews or ABCNews), but they might have some marketing folks working feverishly on some other phrase that can replace the M and the S.


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Comments on “MSNBC May Lose The MS”

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5 Comments
drteknikal (profile) says:

more libertarian than liberal

I’d have to take issue with the characterization of MSNBC as liberal. Compared to Fox News, maybe, but that’s unfair. Over time, MSNBC has drifted more in the direction of conservative libertarians. I’m not sure how any network with Pat Buchannan can be considered liberal.
If you consider the political landscape to be a plane, not a line, you’ll find that in addition to the axis running from liberal to conservative, there’s another running from authoritarian to libertarian. Fox News is more authoritarian than conservative, but neither liberal nor libertarian.
MSNBC has tried to find a political identity somewhere between the liberal CNN and the authoritarian FOX. They’ve managed to be somewhere between unclear and misunderstood.

drteknikal (profile) says:

more libertarian than liberal

I’d have to take issue with the characterization of MSNBC as liberal. Compared to Fox News, maybe, but that’s unfair. Over time, MSNBC has drifted more in the direction of conservative libertarians. I’m not sure how any network with Pat Buchannan can be considered liberal.

If you consider the political landscape to be a plane, not a line, you’ll find that in addition to the axis running from liberal to conservative, there’s another running from authoritarian to libertarian. Fox News is more authoritarian than conservative, but neither liberal nor libertarian.

MSNBC has tried to find a political identity somewhere between the liberal CNN and the authoritarian FOX. They’ve managed to be somewhere between unclear and misunderstood.

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