MSNBC facts for kids
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| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | United States and Canada |
| Headquarters | 30 Rockefeller Plaza Manhattan, New York City |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | 1080i HDTV (downscaled to letterboxed 480i for the SDTV feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | NBCUniversal (Comcast) |
| Parent | NBCUniversal News Group |
| Sister channels | CNBC CNBC World NBC |
| History | |
| Launched | July 15, 1996 |
| Replaced | America's Talking (1994–1996) MSNBC Canada (in Canada) |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| Digital terrestrial television | Channel 20.4 (Alexandria, Minnesota) |
| Streaming media | |
| fuboTV | Internet Protocol television |
| DirecTV Stream | Internet Protocol television |
| Sling TV | Internet Protocol television |
| YouTube TV | Internet Protocol television |
MSNBC is a popular American TV channel and website. Its name comes from a mix of Microsoft and NBC. It is based in New York City. The channel focuses on news and offers different viewpoints on current events.
MSNBC is owned by NBCUniversal, which is part of a bigger company called Comcast. The channel broadcasts live from studios in Manhattan. It also shares its news and commentary on its website, msnbc.com.
In 2018, about 87 million homes in the United States could watch MSNBC. This means most homes with cable or satellite TV had access to it. By late 2023, MSNBC was the second most-watched cable news channel in the U.S. It had about 792,000 viewers each day. Some of its most popular shows include The Rachel Maddow Show and The Beat with Ari Melber.
MSNBC and its website started in 1996. This happened because Microsoft and General Electric's NBC teamed up. Microsoft later sold its share of the TV channel in 2005. It also sold its part of the website in 2012. The original news website then became NBCNews.com. A new msnbc.com was created just for the TV channel.
Contents
The Story of MSNBC
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| 1912 | Universal Pictures is founded |
|---|---|
| 1926 | NBC is founded |
| 1928 | Walter Lantz Productions is established |
| 1943 | MCA Inc. establishes Revue Studios (later Universal Television) |
| 1953 | NBC begins first compatible color broadcasts, preceding other networks by nine years |
| 1956 | NBC's first peacock logo debuts |
| 1963 | American Cable Systems is founded |
| 1964 | Universal Studios Hollywood opens |
| 1967 | NBC broadcasts the first Super Bowl |
| 1968 | American Cable Systems rebrands to Comcast |
| 1972 | Comcast began trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) |
| 1975 | Universal releases Jaws |
| 1980 | PolyGram renames Casablanca Record & Filmworks to PolyGram Pictures MCA Videocassette‚ Inc. (Later Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is established |
| 1982 | Universal releases E.T. The Extra Terrestrial |
| 1984 | Walter Lantz Productions' assets are sold to Universal Telemundo is founded |
| 1985 | Universal releases Back to the Future |
| 1986 | General Electric buys RCA for $6.4 billion, including NBC and a stake in A&E |
| 1989 | NBC relaunches Tempo Television as CNBC |
| 1990 | Universal Studios Florida opens Law & Order premieres on NBC Sky Television and British Satellite Broadcasting merge to form British Sky Broadcasting Universal Cartoon Studios (later Universal Animation Studios) is established |
| 1993 | Universal releases Jurassic Park |
| 1994 | DreamWorks Animation is founded |
| 1996 | NBC and Microsoft replace America's Talking with MSNBC |
| 1997 | Barry Diller purchases Universal's domestic television assets |
| 1998 | Seagram acquires PolyGram Filmed Entertainment Universal Television is renamed Studios USA Television |
| 1999 | PolyGram Filmed Entertainment is folded into Universal Pictures Universal Studios Florida expands to become Universal Orlando Resort Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premieres on NBC |
| 2001 | Grand opening of Universal Studios Japan Universal releases The Fast and the Furious Vivendi purchases Studios USA |
| 2002 | NBC acquires Telemundo and Bravo Studios USA assets are folded into Universal Focus Features is formed Comcast acquires AT&T Broadband for $44.5 billion |
| 2003 | Universal becomes the first studio with five summer releases breaking the $100 million mark |
| 2004 | GE and Vivendi merge NBC and Universal into NBCUniversal |
| 2005 | The Office premieres on NBC Comcast sets up a joint-venture with PBS, Sesame Workshop & HIT Entertainment to form PBS Kids Sprout Comcast & Time Warner Cable jointly acquire Adelphia Cable assets for $17.6 billion |
| 2006 | USA Network begins 13-year streak as #1 cable network in total viewers |
| 2007 | Illumination is founded |
| 2010 | Universal releases Illumination's first film Despicable Me |
| 2011 | Vivendi divested in NBCU; Comcast buys 51% of NBCU from GE, turning it into a limited liability company NBCUniversal Archives is founded |
| 2012 | Universal celebrates its 100th anniversary NBCUniversal divests its A&E Networks minority stake |
| 2013 | Comcast buys GE's remaining 49% of NBCU Comcast/NBCU assumes full ownership of Sprout |
| 2014 | Comcast attempts to acquire Time Warner Cable for $45.2 billion NBCUniversal reaches a new long-term deal with WWE |
| 2016 | NBCU acquires DreamWorks Animation |
| 2017 | Sprout relaunches as Universal Kids |
| 2018 | Comcast acquires Sky after a heated bidding war with 21st Century Fox |
| 2019 | NBCU acquires Cineo Lighting |
| 2020 | NBCU launches Peacock |
| 2021 | Grand opening of Universal Beijing Resort |
| 2023 | The Super Mario Bros. Movie becomes Illumination's highest-grossing film |
How MSNBC Began
MSNBC was created through a special agreement between NBC and Microsoft. An NBC leader named Tom Rogers helped make this partnership happen. James Kinsella from Microsoft led the online part, MSNBC.com. Microsoft put $221 million into the cable channel.
MSNBC and Microsoft also shared the cost of a large newsroom. This newsroom was in Secaucus, New Jersey. The new channel took over the spot of NBC's older channel, America's Talking.
Early Years: 1996 to 2007
MSNBC first went on air on July 15, 1996. The first show had news, interviews, and different opinions. During the day, news was constantly updated. Shows like The Contributors featured well-known commentators. Stories on MSNBC were often longer and more detailed than those on CNN. NBC also used news from its local TV stations.
Over time, MSNBC started to focus more on politics. By 2007, it was known for its political discussions and strong opinions.
After the attacks on September 11, 2001, NBC used MSNBC for quick, up-to-the-minute news. This helped people get updates fast. The channel also gained attention for its hosts who shared strong opinions.
In 2005, NBCUniversal bought more of MSNBC from Microsoft. This gave NBC even more control over the TV channel. The news website msnbc.com stayed a separate project for a few more years.
Around late 2005, MSNBC started to attract viewers who held progressive or liberal views. This happened as host Keith Olbermann began to comment on and make fun of conservative media.
In 2007, MSNBC and NBC News moved their main studios. They moved to NBC's 30 Rockefeller Center in New York City. This allowed all of NBC's news operations to be in one building.
Growing and Changing: 2008 to 2015
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From 2007 to 2008, MSNBC's viewership grew a lot. During the 2008 presidential election, MSNBC's coverage was led by hosts like Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews. They became the main faces of the channel's political news. Their viewership more than doubled compared to the 2004 election.
In September 2008, the channel hired Rachel Maddow. She started a new political opinion show called The Rachel Maddow Show. This show became very popular. It often had more viewers than CNN's Larry King Live. This made MSNBC much more competitive during prime time.
In 2010, MSNBC started beating CNN in viewership during prime time. This was a big achievement for the channel. Many of its shows, like Morning Joe and Hardball with Chris Matthews, were ahead of their rivals on CNN.
On October 11, 2010, MSNBC launched a new ad campaign called "Lean Forward." This campaign showed that the network was embracing its progressive identity. The new approach helped MSNBC grow. However, it also caused some confusion with the msnbc.com website, which was still a general news site. Because of this, msnbc.com changed its name to NBCNews.com in 2012.
In 2011, Keith Olbermann left MSNBC. His departure got a lot of media attention.
In 2012, the NBCUniversal News Group was created. This group brought together NBC News, CNBC, and MSNBC.
By 2014, MSNBC's overall viewership had dropped. It fell to third place behind CNN. However, it still had many viewers from African American and Hispanic communities.
New Look and Shows: 2015 to 2021
In 2015, MSNBC decided to change its focus. It moved from opinion-based shows to more traditional news reporting. Many daytime opinion shows were replaced with general news programs. Well-known NBC News people like Chuck Todd and Brian Williams started hosting shows. The channel also got a new logo and look. Morning and prime-time shows, however, still featured opinionated hosts.
In 2016, MSNBC launched The 11th Hour with Brian Williams. This show summarized the day's news and looked ahead to the next day. It was the first new prime-time show for MSNBC in almost four years.
In 2017, MSNBC started using the NBC News brand more often. This was to show its strong connection to the main news division. In May 2017, MSNBC became the most-watched cable news channel during prime time for the first time. This happened as viewership for Fox News was decreasing.
In 2018, MSNBC stopped using its on-air news ticker. This was done to reduce distractions and focus more on the news reporting.
In 2020, Chris Matthews left his show Hardball. His spot was later filled by The ReidOut with Joy Reid.
In December 2020, Rashida Jones was named the new president of MSNBC. She wanted to invest more in documentaries. She also aimed to make it clear to viewers which shows were news-based and which were opinion-based.
In January 2021, MSNBC had its highest-rated week ever. This happened after the January 6 United States Capitol attack. For the first time since 2000, MSNBC had more viewers than Fox News.
Recent Changes: 2021 to Present
On March 29, 2021, MSNBC updated its logo and on-air look. Its main news block, MSNBC Live, was renamed MSNBC Reports. This was part of the plan to clearly separate news from opinion shows.
Brian Williams left the network in late 2021. Stephanie Ruhle took over his show, The 11th Hour. Rachel Maddow also started hosting her show only on Monday nights. Other hosts filled in for her the rest of the week. In August 2022, Alex Wagner began hosting Alex Wagner Tonight in that time slot.
In March 2022, MSNBC announced that many of its shows would be available to watch on demand. This was through the Peacock streaming service.
In March 2023, MSNBC launched a new Sunday morning show called Inside with Jen Psaki. This show is hosted by the former White House press secretary.
On January 13, 2024, MSNBC changed its weekend schedule. New shows like The Weekend started airing. Other shows moved to different times. This revamp aimed to offer a fresh lineup for weekend viewers.
Where You Can Watch MSNBC
Carriage Issues
Before 2010, some TV providers like Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-verse could not offer MSNBC in certain areas. This was because of an agreement between MSNBC and another company, Cablevision. This agreement stopped other providers from carrying the channel.
In 2009, Verizon complained to the government about this. They argued that the deal might be against the law. After a new agreement was made, Verizon FiOS started offering MSNBC in New York City and New Jersey in 2010.
MSNBC Around the World
In southern Africa, you can watch MSNBC Africa. This is a partnership that shows MSNBC's programs.
In Australia, MSNBC launched in November 2019 on Fetch TV. It also became available on Foxtel and its streaming service Flash in April 2023. These services show the direct U.S. feed of MSNBC.
In Asia and Europe, MSNBC does not have its own dedicated channel. However, its programs were sometimes shown on CNBC Europe during certain times.
In Turkey, there is a news channel called NTV-MSNBC. This channel is a partnership between NTV Turkey and MSNBC. English content from MSNBC is translated into Turkish for viewers there.
MSNBC Online
MSNBC and its website, msnbc.com, started at the same time. The website was the main online news source for NBC News. It was a partnership with Microsoft's MSN.com. The website and the TV channel were run separately. The website did not follow the TV channel's increasingly liberal viewpoints.
In July 2012, NBC bought Microsoft's remaining share of msnbc.com. The website was then renamed NBCNews.com. After a while, msnbc.com was relaunched in 2013. This new website was specifically for the MSNBC TV channel. It included opinion articles from hosts and videos from MSNBC shows.
Shift: Online Series
In July 2014, msnbc.com launched msnbc2. This was a brand for several online-only shows. These shows were hosted by MSNBC personalities. In December 2014, msnbc2 was renamed shift. Its programs were less focused on politics and aimed at a younger audience.
MSNBC on the Radio
MSNBC started broadcasting on XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio on April 12, 2010. This was the second time MSNBC was available on satellite radio. The channel had been removed from XM Radio in 2006.
Today, you can listen to a live broadcast of MSNBC's programming on SiriusXM channel 118.
See also
In Spanish: MSNBC para niños
