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\u201cWe could all be fired a year from now,\u201d Morning Joe<\/em> cohost Joe Scarborough<\/strong> quipped<\/a> Wednesday morning while addressing some big news<\/a> on the home front, which is that Comcast plans to spin off its NBCUniversal cable TV networks, including MSNBC. \u201cOr tomorrow,\u201d cohost Mika Brzezinski<\/strong> chimed in.<\/p>\n The cohosts were, presumably, joking about the implications of Comcast\u2019s plan, though the on-air conversation about the volatile nature of the cable news business spoke to the underlying anxiety inside 30 Rock about what the future holds for MSNBC. The network\u2019s ratings have plummeted<\/a> since Donald Trump<\/strong>\u2019s victory earlier this month, and Scarborough and Brzezinski already set off alarms earlier this week in revealing they trekked to Mar-a-Lago to \u201crestart communications\u201d<\/a> with the president-elect, whom they have called out over his authoritarian, even \u201cfascist,\u201d<\/a> rhetoric. Some loyal<\/a> Morning Joe<\/em> viewers<\/a> were appalled by the apparent d\u00e9tente with Trump.<\/p>\n It\u2019s under that somewhat ominous backdrop that MSNBC president Rashida Jones<\/strong> and NBCUniversal Media Group chairman Mark Lazarus,<\/strong> who will helm the new spin-off company, addressed senior leaders, producers, anchors, and hosts, including Rachel Maddow, Katy Tur,<\/strong> and Chris Jansing,<\/strong> according to sources present. During the Wednesday morning meeting, Lazarus assured staff the plan was to \u201cunlock the value\u201d of the cable assets, according to one source present.<\/p>\n While the source says that the meeting was more positive than anticipated, there is expected to be a lot of complicated logistical work to come in separating MSNBC from NBC News, given the shared resources between two entities, from correspondents and field producers to nearby control rooms. Lazarus didn\u2019t provide all the specifics for the spin-off, which, according to the Comcast press release<\/a>,<\/em> is expected to take around a year to complete. It\u2019s uncertain if the cable news channel would keep NBC in its name, the source says, use its iconic Peacock logo, or remain in 30 Rock.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are no ornaments on this tree at the moment. We have to wait to see what this actually means,\u201d the source says, adding that MSNBC is \u201cno worse off\u201d than yesterday. Still, the source notes that some of their \u201ccolleagues think we\u2019re on the way to the dumpster,\u201d which could stem from the \u201cnormal uncertainty that comes with all change.\u201d<\/p>\n An MSNBC spokesperson declined to comment.<\/p>\n There were some signs of optimism. Maddow, according to a second source, said that it was great to have Lazarus \u201chere on day one.\u201d Lazarus separately met with others inside MSNBC, taking questions from staffers and, perhaps, helping reassure the rank-and-file.<\/p>\n The Mar-a-Lago sit-down has prompted mixed reactions inside the network, according to<\/a> CNN media analyst and Vanity Fair<\/em> contributor Brian Stelter,<\/strong> who writes that some staffers pointed out the value of access to the president-elect, as others \u201csaid the meeting was a troubling early sign of capitulation\u201d to Trump. \u201cNormalizing Trump is a bad idea,\u201d Katie Phang,<\/strong> an NBC News and MSNBC legal correspondent, wrote<\/a> in a post on X that was perceived as a jab at the hosts\u2019 trip.<\/p>\n Stelter reported that Scarborough and Brzezinski were \u201ccredibly concerned\u201d about facing retribution from the Trump administration. A second source tells me that Brzezinski and Scarborough have the \u201csupport of network leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n The president-elect has regularly singled out individual<\/a> journalists<\/a>, disparaging their credibility on social media, barring them from briefings in his first term and even calling for major broadcast organizations to have their licenses stripped<\/a>. His pick to oversee the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr,<\/strong> seems to be prepared<\/a> to carry out his priorities, having already taken aim at TV organizations over their supposed political bias. Additionally, last week, Trump ally Steve Bannon<\/strong> said on his podcast<\/a> that MSNBC staffers should be prepared for legal retribution<\/a>, with former Representative Matt Gaetz<\/strong> in control of the Department of Justice if approved, warning them to \u201clawyer up.\u201d<\/p>\n While MSNBC\u2019s opinion hosts were central to what was often dubbed \u201cresistance\u201d media during Trump\u2019s first term, it\u2019s unclear if viewers will stay glued to what will surely be a tumultuous news environment.<\/a> It\u2019s been a disappointing month for the network as a whole, which has seen ratings<\/a> hemorrhage. Last week, according to Nielsen figures, prime-time ratings dropped 48% in total viewership and 54% in the 25-54 demographic, compared to the network\u2019s yearly average to date.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n