The Big MSNBC-NBC News Split Starts October 6

The “NBC” is coming out of MSNBC — and so too are many of the NBC News personnel who appear regularly on the cable network.

A day will come in the not-too-distant future when NBC News correspondents and personalities will no longer appear on MSNBC, part of the split between the two news organizations taking place as parent company Comcast spins off the bulk of its cable assets into a new company called Versant. Starting October 6, staffers at both operations were told Wednesday, domestic and international NBC News will no longer appear on MSNBC. Correspondents based in Washington, D.C. will continue to make appearances until October 20 — with MSNBC having to stand up a full, independent news report and its own editorial standards after that date.

The plans surface as Versant starts testing its ability to run independent editorial operations and workflows for both MSNBC and CNBC. The Versant and NBCU businesses are slated to be separated legally by January 1, and setting a plan for the next several weeks will allow Versant to test and fine-tune operations.

Things get more serious after October 20. MSNBC and CNBC will no longer join NBC editorial calls and meetings, though Versant will retain access to NBC News’ Decision Desk through the end of the year.

In November, MSNBC will begin broadcasting its programs from new facilities.

MSNBC has already been preparing for the break-up. MSNBC will soon come to be known as My Source for News Opinion and the World, or MS NOW, following the spin off. USA Network and Golf Channel will soon be housed under the brand USA Sports, and each network will get a redesigned logo. CNBC will retain its current name, but will also get a new logo that nods to its history and expertise in business news.

MSNBC and NBC News will soon be even more distinct from each other — and more competitive. MSNBC has in recent weeks hired NBC News journalists including Ken Dilanian, Brandy Zadrozny, David Noriega, and Vaughan Hillyard. And Versant has hired senior NBCU news executives including Brian Carovillano, Tom Clendenin, Meghan Rafferty and Jessica Kurdali. Meanwhile, there has been growing speculation that the absence of MSNBC and CNBC from the NBCUniversal news operations could force a recalibration of resources, according to people familiar with newsroom conversations.

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