Comcast Said to Be Close to Gaining NBC Universal..

[Stuart G]

from the New York Times...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/02/business/media/02nbc.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

By MICHAEL J. de la MERCED and ANDREW ROSS SORKIN
Published: November 1, 2009

General Electric and the cable giant Comcast have moved closer to a deal giving control of NBC Universal to Comcast, and a formal announcement could be made sometime next week, people briefed on the talks said




After a series of meetings last week, the two companies reached a tentative agreement on Friday over the main points of a deal, these people said. Comcast would own about 51 percent of NBC Universal, contributing several billions of dollars in cash and its own stable of cable networks to the new venture

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I wonder what this will mean for MSNBC ...Madow, and Olbermann???

[derby378]

1. Hold on to your butts...

Comcast will probably go after Olbermann and Maddow before the ink dries.

[brendan120678]

2. Why do you think that Comcast..

would treat them any differently than General Electric does?

[Stuart G]

3. Because Comcast has taken MSNBC off the preferrd cable channels.

And made it more difficult to get these programs..
Would they do more harm?

[brendan120678]

6. I see. Wasn't aware of that...

we don't bother with Comcast here. Although what we have (DirecTV) isn't much better it sounds like.

[shotten99]

4. Ratings = Revenue

[Stumbler]

8. Not always. Ideology can trump both ratings and revenues

Look at the ownership and programming on a.m. radio. There have been countless examples of a station hosting highly-rated liberal programs, then being sold to a new owner, who then cancels all liberal programming in favor of sports, conservative talk, or some other format. Yes, the ratings sink, but at least the liberal voice has been shut out of another market.

It's like the debate over private health insurance vs government programs. The Ins. cos will say, "Competition? Yes, it's a great thing! Oh, you want US to compete? No thanks! We'll keep our monopoly, thank you very much."

[Stuart G]

10. Stumbler is correct....Right wing goal is to own all radio..

and to have no competing opinions, therefore, many people will believe that their opinion is the only therefore the correct opinion ....Until Air America, and a very few holdouts, they had achieved their goal. If they get rid of Madow, Olbermann and Big Ed, they will again lockstep forward again. Comcast did not change MSNBC cable availability without some thought. They knew exactly what they were doing. I would not be surprised if Madow and Olbermann will be dumped under a Comcast Management

Clearly MSNBC had hands off of Madow and Olbermann. In this case, change could be their end.

[marmar]

5. More media consolidation. ..... Just what we need.

:hurts:

[nightrain]

7. knr. Probably Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann would have a huge following

if they went to another "venue", something less tied to corporations. Something available in real-time streaming and on the tube and radio...

[Doctor_J]

9. Say good bye to the 15 hrs/week of non-right-wing programming

Comcast will move MSNBC into Fox/CNN/CNBC territory.