MSNBC, SpinCo will be based in Manhattan

MSNBC plans to keep its operations in Manhattan after it and most of NBCUniversal’s other cable properties are spun off.

Mark Lazarus, the prospective CEO of “SpinCo,” notably committed to locating the MSNBC space and corporate headquarters of SpinCo somewhere on the island of Manhattan. 

Although not mentioned in the announcement, it’s worth noting this doesn’t necessarily rule out the possibility of using space somewhere within 30 Rockefeller Plaza, its current home and also world headquarters for NBC News. MSNBC could also move to an entirely different building.

Lazarus did say that studio operations would also be located in the same location as the newsroom, according to reporting from Brian Steinberg at Variety.

This initial announcement about MSNBC and SpinCo remaining in Manhattan served as a way to let employees know that the network was not planning to relocate to a disparate locale that could affect commutes. There had been some rumblings that MSNBC would move in with CNBC, but that talk has been squashed by Lazarus’ announcement.

Reports also indicate that MSNBC might need temporary office space if the spinoff closes sooner than its new space is ready. 

Lazarus also announced that CNBC will remain at its Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, home, a purpose-built broadcast facility that opened in 2003. Plans also call for MSNBC to use the facility as its centralized location for key technical operations, including having some of its staffers based in Englewood Cliffs. It was not clear how many employees might be affected by this change.

It appears that SpinCo will physically separate its master control and technical hub from NBCU’s facility in Colorado.

Separately, MSNBC announced it would start building out a new newsroom in Washington, D.C. Since that announcement, MSNBC has secured space within 400 North Capitol, the same building NBC News operates out of, Steinberg reports. 

NBC has used space in this building going back to the days before MSNBC even launched. Initially, only a collection of smaller studio and support space was rented on the upper floors to take advantage of sweeping views of Capitol Hill that would appear behind reporters and guests.

In September 2020, NBC News relocated its D.C. bureau out of the Nebraska Avenue NW home it had shared with local station WRC for years into 400 North Capitol, taking over a significantly larger footprint, including first-floor office space and windowed studio.

It was not immediately apparent where exactly MSNBC’s bureau would be located within the building or how it might affect the footprint of NBC News’ operations. 

MSNBC will continue to share the space at NBC News bureaus in other locations, according to Variety. It was not clear if separate staffers would be hired or if they might have office space that’s physically separated from NBC’s other operations. 

Lazarus also told Variety that his team is “closing in” on a final name for the new company (“SpinCo” has been used as a placeholder name since the announcement). 

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