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Patriotic repositioning: MSNBC re-brands itself Americašs News Channel.

LOS ANGELES, Mar. 28, 2002. The L.A. Times is reporting that MSNBC, the third-rated (but not second rate?) cable news network, is re-branding itself "America's NewsChannel" in a valiant attempt to exploit the new patriotic fervor in America 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 tagline, "The Best News on Cable," which was preceded by "MSNBC: The Whole Picture."

We're excited by an independent-thinking America's NewsChannel, wholly independent of America's Team, America's Sweetheart, America's Cup, America's War on Terror, America's Job Bank, America's Story, America's Best, America's Promise....

"A CNN spokesman called the move 'laughable.' A Fox spokesman said, 'MSNBC is irrelevant.'" Of course, Fox "News" is just happy that they haven't been dragged into court yet for false advertising, given their tagline, "fair and balanced news."