MS NOW’s new ‘Morning Joe’ newsletter wants to look like a magazine

Joe Scarborough is launching a newsletter, "The Tea, Spilled by Morning Joe," inspired by print magazines like Vanity Fair and Air Mail, to connect with the show's audience. The newsletter will be visually driven with daily illustrations and ample white space, sent in the early afternoon, Monday through Friday. MSNBC is rebranding to MS NOW as Comcast's NBCUniversal splits, becoming an independent company called Versant. This independence allows MS NOW and its shows, like Morning Joe, to build deeper relationships with their audience and explore new revenue streams. "The Tea" is part of this effort, integrating with the show by featuring daily video clips. Subscribers will receive exclusive invites to virtual town halls and can submit questions to the hosts. Scarborough aims for a culturally and politically relevant tone, testing boundaries with less traditional content. He describes the new mentality of Versant as a startup, allowing for more freedom and innovation. The name “The Tea” was chosen for its lighthearted feel, despite initial concerns about seriousness.