So Comcast is almost certainly the new owner of NBC-Universal. Hats off to Sharon Waxman, of The Wrap, which first broke the story on September 30.
Some details are already becoming clear, such as the reality that NBC-U chief Jeff Zucker is likely to be layered by Comcast COO Stephen Burke--assuming, of course, that Zucker stays on at all. Still a mystery, the fate of Peter Chernin, the ex-COO of the News Corp. Perhaps he was just a feint, too, to help Comcast secure the deal.
The Cable Gamer thinks that overall, Comcast's purchase of NBC-U is a good idea, because, after all, content is king. Pipes will always be important, but whether they are copper wire, fiber optics, the air, or white space, they are still "dumb." What is "smart" is actual content. And now Comcast, which has 25 percent of the cable and Internet pipes in the US, and which has been dabbling with various "content" channel offerings in the past, albeit with no great success, now has some serious content.
But of course, there are some issues:
So here are some Cable Game questions for the new owner of NBC-U:
1) Do you think that MSNBC's Keith Olbermann is an asset to your new conglomerate? And do you, the folks in Philadelphia, really wish to be responsible for his blog posts in, say, Daily Kos?
2) Are you happy the overall left-leaning editorial stance at MSNBC? Olbermann after all, is something of a star, but what about Ed Schultz and Rachel Maddow? They have all the left-wing baggage of Olbermann, but not the barely half-decent ratings. They are there because Olbermann likes them, not because of their own strength. Is that good corporate management?
3) Do you think that Chris Matthews is a stable enough figure for national TV? He, after all, is the one who said that he got a thrill up his leg when he heard Obama speak, and also said that West Point was "enemy territory" for Obama. (Matthews apologized for the comment, but if he didn't mean it, why did he say it?)
4) What will you do about the obvious ethical issues surrounding Dan Abrams? He is still listed as chief legal correspondent for NBC, even as he dabbles in various ventures, from Abrams Research to Mediaite.
5) What ethics rules will you enforce concerning CNBC, including such, uh, high flyers as Maria Bartiromo? Will there be any rules regarding conflict of interest and mixing business with, uh, business?
Comcast is, after all, a publicly traded company. And while the Obama administration and the Democrats might be in love with NBC and its "green" weeks, as well as the "MSDNC" propaganda hurtling out of MSNBC, it's hard to see how such fare meets the basic criteria of journalistic fairness that a broadcast company and a corporation should have to meet.
