Mediaweek's Anthony Crupi notes that Comcast Chairman Brian Roberts didn't seem overly eager to reassure MSNBC, or NBC, about their place in NBC-U's Comcastic future. That is, Comcast, which will soon swallow up NBC-Universal, parent company of MSNBC, NBC, and also CNBC, does not seem overly enamored of the way things are going at MSNBC in particular.
As Crupi explains:
Playing devil's advocate, former News Corp president and COO Peter Chernin asked Roberts what course of action he might take should, say, MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann begin taking pot-shots at Republican Congressmen.
"Let's have that conversation in 12 months when we're playing with live ammo," Roberts said, before adding that he would ensure that NBC News continued to "keep [its coverage] down the middle, whatever that means."
We might pause over what Roberts just said. First, responding to a question about Keith Olbermann, he says, "Let's have that conversation in 12 months when we're playing with live ammo." If The Cable Gamer could be allowed a bit of translational license, it would seem that Roberts understands the problem that Olbermann presents, but that it's moot now. Not moot later, just moot now.
And as for NBC, he says that he expects NBC News to "keep [its coverage] down the middle, whatever that means." Whatever that means? What does Roberts mean by that? Your guess is as good as TCG's but it's a backhanded endorsement of NBC, at best.
But to repeat: The real news is the dark shadow falling upon Olbermann's future at MSNBC--a shadow cast by Comcast. No doubt Olbermann will ignore the warning signs, but that's why they call it "whistling past the graveyard." The ghostly figure on the left is Brian Roberts--the ghost haunting what remains of Olbermann's future as a network anchorman.
