NBC TO BUY ALL OF MSNBC.COM — CONVERT IT TO NBCNEWS.COM

NBC’s long-rumored plan to buy from Microsoft the 50 percent of MSNBC.com that it doesn’t now own will materialize within days, media reporter Howard Kurtz reported on TheDailyBeast.com, citing people familiar with the matter. The network plans to rebrand the site NBCNews.com. For years the site has had to contend with the association with cable channel MSNBC, which features mostly liberal commentators during its primetime hours. Most of its content, however, is provided by NBC News, which seeks to present itself as a neutral news organization. Commented Kurtz, “The company has worried about the brand confusion caused by its straight-news site bearing the same name.” NBC and Microsoft originally shared ownership of the MSNBC cable channel, but NBC acquired full ownership in 2005. Kurtz reported that employees of the website have already been briefed on the matter. “We’re absolutely having those conversations, but there is no deal,” an NBC spokesman told Kurtz on Wednesday.