The channel was started in 1996 as a joint venture between [[Microsoft]] and [[NBC]]. On December 23, 2005, ending a partnership that soured long before, Microsoft and NBC announced that they would dissolve their joint ownership of the cable news channel, with NBC taking control. NBC completed a deal to assume majority control of the channel, with an 82 percent stake.<ref>http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30610F93E540C778EDDAB0994DD404482</ref>
MSNBC has received criticism from both liberal and conservative groups regarding the channel's perceived biases. The media watchdog group the Media Research Center<ref> [http://www.mediaresearch.org/about/aboutwelcome.asp About Media Research Center] www.mediaresearch.org</ref> argues that MSNBC has a [[liberal]] slant, citing shows by [[Keith Olbermann]] and [[Chris Matthews]], while the [[left-wing]] Media Matters for America<ref> [http://mediamatters.org/ Media Matters for America homepage] www.mediamatters.org</ref> has claimed the channel has a slant in favor of conservatives, citing shows by left-[[libertarian]] [[Tucker Carlson]] and centrist former Republican Congressman [[Joe Scarbourough]]. Ironically, on August 16, 2007 Scarborough revealed an incident in which people in the MSNBC newsroom ceaselessly booed [[President of the United States|President]] [[George W. Bush|Bush]] during a State of the Union address.<ref>http://newsbusters.org/node/14899/print</ref>
In the past, MSNBC shows have featured [[Mitch Albom]], [[Ann Coulter]], [[Phil Donahue]], [[Bill Moyers]], [[Maury Povich]], and [[Michael Savage]], among others. That varied programming was gradually reduced as NBC veered more [[leftist]] in its point-of-view.