A report in the Wall Street Journal indicates that Microsoft is looking to end its involvement in the MSNBC news channel.

The paper, citing unnamed "people familiar with the situation," said that the technology firm is looking to get out of the joint venture deal with GE-owned NBC because it is not considered a core asset.

MSNBC was launched on July 15, 1996. At that time, Microsoft and NBC signed a 99 year joint venture agreement to operate the channel, in a deal designed to capture synergy between cable TV and the Internet.