NEW: 'MS NOW' to replace MSNBC after NBCUniversal spinoff

MSNBC will lose the peacock logo and be rebranded as "MS NOW" ahead of its spinoff from Comcast's NBCUniversal, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.

The details were shared with staff members by Mark Lazarus, who will run NBCUniversal's new public company, Versant, as CEO. Lazarus addressed the rebrand as well as the logo change.

“As we all know, the peacock is synonymous with NBCUniversal, and it is a symbol they have decided to keep within the NBCU family,” he said. “This gives us the opportunity to chart our own path forward, create distinct brand identities, and establish an independent news organization following the spin.”

MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler said in a memo, "This new branding underscores our mission: to serve as a destination for breaking news and best-in-class opinion journalism, all rooted in accurate and reported facts."

“During this time of transition, NBCUniversal decided that our brand requires a new, separate identity. This decision now allows us to set our own course and assert our independence as we continue to build our own modern newsgathering operation,” Kutler added in the memo. “The future of our success is not tied to remaining within the NBC family and using the peacock as part of our identity.”

Along with MSNBC's peacock logo, other channels under NBCUniversal are also getting remade, including the Golf Channel and CNBC. CNBC, however, will be keeping its name.

Prominent news anchor at MSNBC, Rachel Maddow, told reporters in an email, If there was ever a time for us to change our name, this is it — because we’re not just separating from NBC News in corporate terms, we’re competing with them now. So I think the distinction is going to be good for us. What NBC doing in its legacy timeslots — the Today Show, Nightly, Meet the Press — is just a world away from the 24/7 totally independent news operation that we’re able to stand up now, thanks to the spin-off.”