MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow publicly defended the cable news network's rebrand during an appearance on the Pivot podcast with tech journalist Kara Swisher .

“In this case, we can apply our own instincts, our own queries, our own priorities, to getting stuff that we need from reporters and correspondents … and so it’s gonna be better,” Maddow said.

Mark Lazarus , who will lead Versant, a company consisting of MS NOW and other cable assets, officially announced the cable news network's new name, which is short for My Source News Opinion World . The network will also drop the iconic NBC peacock symbol from its logo, replacing it with a blue background with a red-and-white striped flag.

“If there was ever a time for us to change our name, this is it — because we’re not

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