NBC News staffers who provided graphics support to both sister network MSNBC and the mothership division have been laid off from their jobs ahead of corporate parent Comcast’s spinoff of its cable division into a new company, according to a report.
Fewer than a dozen staffers were shown the door at 30 Rock recently as preparations are being made for a new company called Versant to absorb MSNBC, according to the Status newsletter.
The first casualties of the imminent divorce were in NBC’s graphics unit, which had historically supported both NBC News and MSNBC.
With MSNBC and CNBC preparing to exit into Versant, the shared graphics team was reorganized, Status reported.
Some employees shifted to Versant, others remained with NBC News but several were cut entirely, according to the newsletter.
Fewer than a dozen full-time staffers were affected, along with a number of freelancers, according to insiders. The layoffs are seen as the opening round of a larger wave expected once Versant formally launches.
The Post has sought comment from MSNBC and NBC News.
Comcast is spinning off MSNBC, CNBC, USA Network, SYFY, E! and Golf Channel — along with digital properties including Rotten Tomatoes, Fandango, and GolfNow — into Versant, a publicly traded company slated to debut by the end of 2025 under the ticker VSNT.
The transaction is structured to be tax-free for Comcast shareholders, who will receive shares in the new entity. Versant will start life with about $7 billion in annual revenue and relatively little debt, designed to give it stability as a standalone cable-and-digital player.
Comcast will keep NBC broadcast, Peacock, Telemundo, Bravo, Universal Studios and theme parks — the growth engines in streaming and broadband.
Starting Oct. 20, NBC News staffers will no longer appear on MSNBC.
Joint editorial meetings will end, and the two will no longer share content except for NBC’s Decision Desk, which MSNBC will use through the end of the year for election coverage.
The changes formalize a split that had been growing for years as MSNBC tilted more toward opinion programming.
Versant executives have begun building an independent newsroom and standards operation to replace NBC’s editorial support.
CNBC, which has always operated more separately from NBC News, will also move into Versant but keep its branding and its core mission as a business news outlet.
Industry analysts expect little disruption beyond corporate governance.
The biggest visible change will be at MSNBC, which will shed both the “NBC” name and the iconic peacock logo.
Beginning in November, the network will rebrand as “MS NOW” and move into new studios in New York.
Programming and marquee hosts are expected to remain intact, but executives have promised to expand news coverage and bolster reporting ranks as the channel asserts independence from NBC.
MS NOW has already struck a deal with Sky News to provide global coverage.
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