MSNBC Changes Its Brand to ‘America’s NewsChannel’

MSNBC, the third-rated cable news network, is re-branding itself “America’s NewsChannel” in an attempt to simultaneously tap into the country’s newfound sense of patriotism and present the image of an independent-thinking channel whose politics cover the spectrum of viewpoints.

The new slogan, which as of Thursday began periodically framing the channel’s on-screen headlines, will be accompanied by a reworked logo with an American flag-colored NBC peacock, smaller than the large waving American flag that rival Fox News Channel features. The brand campaign replaces MSNBC’s most recent tag line, “The Best News on Cable,” which was preceded by “MSNBC: The Whole Picture.”

The new brand is the channel’s latest step in its attempt to catch up with cable news leader Fox and second-place CNN. MSNBC has also hired liberal Phil Donahue and conservative Alan Keyes to start and end the evening talk-show lineup, and it won an internal battle with sister channel CNBC to gain exclusive use of “Hardball” host Chris Matthews.

In a memo to staff, MSNBC President Erik Sorenson said the new brand reflects MSNBC’s across-the-gamut politics, writing, “Since our launch in 1996, we have taken a populist approach--offering a rainbow of ideas and a solid variety of voices.”

In an interview, Sorenson said, “We needed to stake out some territory in the aftermath of Sept. 11.” The new brand, he added, isn’t meant to be jingoistic, but to convey that “it’s quintessentially American to have spirited, ongoing debate and discussion about the issues of the day.”

Sorenson’s memo took a veiled swipe at Fox’s sloganeering (“We Report; You Decide” and “Fair and Balanced”): “Some news channels seem partisan, favoring one side over another (regardless of slogans or protestations to the contrary).” Alluding to CNN, which uses the slogans “You can depend on CNN” and the above-the-fray “This ... is CNN,” the memo said, “Some cut deals with foreign governments or foreign broadcasters so as to provide coverage on an international basis to foreign viewers.”

By contrast, MSNBC, he wrote, “is not partisan and has no agenda, other than to serve the American people--serve our viewers--[and] give them in-depth coverage and thorough analysis.”

A CNN spokesman called the move “laughable.” A Fox spokesman said, “MSNBC is irrelevant.”