NBC News Now to take over former MSNBC home, 30 Rock’s Studio 3A

NBC News will move studio production for its streaming network NBC News Now to Studio 3A in 30 Rockefeller Center.

The move was mentioned in a memo provided to NCS about a forthcoming new show featuring Christine Romans slated to launch in the summer of 2026.

Christine Romans to anchor two-hour block on NBC News Now streamer

NBC News Now is expected to take over the space that was primarily used by MSNBC until it moved across town as part of the Versant spin-off in late 2025, NCS has confirmed. A timeline for the transition has not been announced.

It was not clear if NBC News Now will make use of all or part of the set that was installed for MSNBC in 2022. That set is heavily branded with NBC peacock elements but is largely devoid of any permanent references to the MSNBC name (MSNBC is now known as MS NOW and is no longer a sister network to NBC, thanks to the Versant spinoff).

NBC News Now uses the same peacock icon and bespoke Tinker font that are part of the NBC and NBC News brand.

MSNBC’s Studio 3A plays homage to historic past with renewed focus on practicality

The memo describes 3A as “a state-of-the-art space designed to elevate our live programming and support the future of streaming news.”

Studio 3A has a rich history. Originally a standalone studio space, it was expanded in 2007 when MSNBC and the NBC News newsroom moved from MSNBC’s former headquarters in Secaucus, New Jersey, to Manhattan. 

Those renovations involved connecting 3A directly to Studio 3C via a wall with glass windows and doors. The two spaces were still considered separate spaces, with 3C serving as home to “NBC Nightly News” and 3A being used primarily for MSNBC.

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Studio 3C was gutted in 2017, with “Nightly” receiving a new set. At the time, the connection to 3A was maintained, with a wall of glass separating the spaces.

In 2021, after a series of updates to the set, “Nightly” decamped from the main 30 Rock tower in favor of Studio 1A, which it continues to share with “Today” to this day.

Set Design

MSNBC Studio 3A

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After 3A’s 2022 renovations, however, a large chroma key volume was installed in part of the space between 3A and 3C, which effectively cut off any direct lines of sight between the two spaces.

At some point, NBC began referring, at least in some cases, to the former 3C space as “Studio 3AW,” which stood for “3A West.” After “Nightly” moved out, Studio 3AW became home to “NBC News Daily” as well as, for a period, some MSNBC programming.

As is common practice within 30 Rock, the two spaces have also been used for various other programs, including with sides originally created for one network showing up on a sister one. 

It was not clear how the 3AW space might be used once the move is complete.

As FAST news streamers continue to grow in popularity, networks have seen an increase demand for dedicated or semi-dedicated studio space for these broadcasts. In the early days of news streamers, it wasn’t uncommon for these productions to use flash-cam style setups installed in the corner of a newsroom or other space or make use of old network sets.