{"id":6709,"date":"2026-09-09T10:55:51","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T10:55:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=6709"},"modified":"2026-09-09T10:55:51","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T10:55:51","slug":"the-big-interview-podcast-rebecca-kutler-ms-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=6709","title":{"rendered":"MS NOW Wants to Turn Its Viewers Into a Fandom"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

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Even if you\u2019re<\/span> a casual consumer of MS NOW, formerly MSNBC, you know the names: anchors like Chris Hayes<\/a>, Stephanie Ruhl, and yes, the one and only Rachel Maddow. The network has built a stable of talent who\u2019ve amassed a massive number of casual viewers, plenty of fans \u2026 and more than a few obsessives.<\/p>\n

Now, the network\u2019s president, Rebecca Kutler, is looking to build that entire audience into something more akin to a fandom\u2014turning casual viewers and fanatics alike, whether on TV<\/a> or online, into paying members of an MS NOW media universe.<\/p>\n

To do it, she\u2019s launching an ambitious subscription program, called Membership, designed to connect MS NOW consumers much more directly to the Hayeses and Maddows of the world. Sure, plenty of news providers now offer subscriptions, WIRED<\/a> included (and by the way, you can subscribe here<\/a>). But what struck me about Kutler and Co.\u2019s efforts was both their methodical approach\u2014they surveyed 18,000 people before landing on a final offering\u2014and their resolute focus on MS NOW\u2019s deep bench of talent as the locus of their paid program. In a world where influencers are the new newscasters, and linear TV is in an inevitable decline, MS NOW is diving directly into the breach: applying the influencer playbook to build a sustainable business that\u2019s future-proofed \u2026 at least until the next great audience pivot.<\/p>\n

I caught up with Kutler at WIRED\u2019s New York studios, just days before MS NOW\u2019s subscription launch. We talked about turning TV talent into fandom magnets, beating Fox, and whether media consolidation is actually good news for the network.<\/p>\n

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This interview has been edited for length and clarity.<\/em><\/p>\n

KATIE DRUMMOND: Rebecca, thank you so much for being here today. Start by telling me when you joined MSNBC. What\u2019s the timeline?<\/strong><\/p>\n

REBECCA KUTLER:<\/strong> I think it was right before the midterms in 2022. I had grown up at CNN. I spent more than 20 years there. I left earlier in 2022, and some folks that I knew and really respected reached out from then MSNBC, and they talked about one of those jobs that has a lot of running room and is a little ambiguous, but in the best way. I thought, \u201cYeah, let’s check it out.\u201d I started at MSNBC, now MS NOW, running their digital businesses, basically all their nonlinear businesses.<\/p>\n

It gave me a real opportunity to learn the place, but also think about what are the missed opportunities that we could take advantage of in the next few years.<\/p>\n

At some point in your tenure, you took on the whole thing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes.<\/p>\n

What were those big challenges that you identified when you looked at the whole portfolio and thought to yourself, \u201cWhat are we going to do here?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the things that immediately struck me when I came over was the fandom.<\/p>\n

I had worked in other newsrooms. I have friends who work in other newsrooms. I love the news and love what we do, but I had never worked at a place where the audience really sees themselves as fans, with a deep connection to talent.<\/p>\n

When I joined MS, it was also at the same time Jen Psaki joined, and we had known each other a little from a previous life. So we went out into the field together and did a few pretty straightforward field reporting pieces. And I’ve walked through airports over my career with a lot of different anchors and newspeople, but I\u2019ve never had the experience of walking through with Jen and seeing the [attention she got]. That’s why she was a great fit for MS. She\u2019s someone people were behind and were rooting for, and had a deep connection with.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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Even if you\u2019re a casual consumer of MS NOW, formerly MSNBC, you know the names: anchors like Chris Hayes, Stephanie Ruhl, and yes, the one and only Rachel Maddow. The network has built a stable of talent who\u2019ve amassed a massive number of casual viewers, plenty of fans \u2026 and more than a few obsessives. 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