OMG You have to read this article from 2009 from BuzzFlash on Comcast MSNBC Acquisition!

[1776Forever]

MSNBC News Junkies Beware: Comcast's Likely Acquisition of NBC May Threaten Your Access to Independent Media

http://blog.buzzflash.com/analysis/943

BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS
by Meg White

Business sections across the country are all abuzz this week over the expected announcement that Comcast Corp. will acquire a controlling share of NBC Universal. But should MSNBC viewers be particularly concerned about the nation's largest cable provider and second largest Internet service provider obtaining one fourth of the media content available to U.S. audiences?

The process of the acquisition itself is somewhat complicated, and could take up to a year to complete. First, Vivendi SA must sell its 20 percent of NBC Universal to General Electric Co., which already owns 80 percent. Then GE would sell 51 percent of the company to Comcast.

This Reuters piece suggests that GE might try to sell its interest in NBC entirely over the next few years, precisely because media is something of an awkward addition to a company profile which includes defense contracting and nuclear power:

In the case of GE, many of its shareholders have urged the conglomerate to offload NBC Universal, whose broadcast and cable networks, movie studio and theme parks are considered misfits among GE's mostly industrial operations.

The parties have discussed an option for GE to sell all or part of its stake in the new venture to Comcast within seven years, sources have said previously.

Comcast lists nine channels that it owns as well as one coalition of channels (Comcast Sports Group), bringing you everything from E! to PBS on demand. In addition to phone, Internet and cable, Comcast is diving into the multi-platform market. Possible programming changes at your favorite network aside; this is bad news for media consolidation...

In an interview Monday, Comcast's Executive Vice President David Cohen said it was "totally appropriate" for Comcast to own content as well as distribute it. He also reserved the right to charge heavy Internet users more than light users, another front in the net neutrality battle.

No signal has come that the Obama Administration will block the acquisition, which most media outlets interpret as a green light. But this is a first test for an administration that has, at least in terms of rhetoric, opposed media consolidation.

On Monday, the Justice Department's Antitrust Division announced five upcoming workshops on merger guidelines. As they take input from the public on issues such as market concentration and the hypothetical creation of a monopolist test, surely Comcast will come up. And while it hasn't been tried yet, President Obama's attitude toward antitrust issues appears to be less permissive than that of President George W. Bush.

Whether on the basis of media consolidation, monopoly, or net neutrality, the government should act here. When a company with such a history of scorn for independent media, competition and the democracy of the Internet as Comcast owns the content as well as the mode of delivery, everyone loses.

Except for Comcast, of course.

(more at link)

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:hide:

[lob1]

1. One thing we must to do take back our democracy is

break up the media conglomerates, and take Fox off, or make them use the designation of "propaganda" instead of "news".

[1776Forever]

2. Yes, Yes, Yes! n/t

[FiveGoodMen]

3. Amen.

[Divine Discontent]

4. as I posted in my thread, we need independent media - these bastards will SQUASH what we have, one

host at a time.

K&R to the greatest page!