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08 Dec 2011 11:55

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Culture: The Roots’ punishment for the Bachmann incident: Heavy bureaucracy

  • 3 NBC execs will now have to screen Questlove’s intro song choices source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Sep 2011 11:57

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Tech: How yesterday’s NBC News Twitter hack might’ve happened

  • Ryan, You need to get off TWITTER immediately and protect your family from the hurricane. That is an order.
  • A suspicious e-mail sent to NBC director of social media Ryan Osborn • Leading to a possible infiltration of Osborn’s computer. Osborn, being obviously confused by such a weird message (received during Hurricane Irene), responded and received another message in return that said “I’m the girl next door” and contained an attachment. Osborn then mistakenly opened the attachment which contained a Christmas tree. Security experts say an infiltration like that could have caused a keylogger to get installed on Osborn’s computer, which may have led to yesterday’s hack. This, of course, underlines why having strong computer security is important, even for an organization like NBC News, which claims their security was otherwise so tight that only three executives knew the Twitter account’s password. And how far The Script Kiddies were willing to go to pull off such a hack. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 May 2011 23:28

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Biz: Blatant evidence the FCC is in bed with big corporate entities

  • January After a long year of hand-wringing, including much complaining by consumer groups, the FCC approved the merger of NBC Universal and Comcast by 4-1. There was much teeth-grinding.
  • May One of the four commissioners who voted for the merger, Meredith Attwell Baker, has a new job. Wanna guess where? It rhymes with “bombast.” Or, perhaps, “total conflict of interest.”  source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Jan 2011 15:24

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Biz: Jeff Zucker’s last gasp with NBC: “I leave you in good hands”

  • For me, that chapter’s ending, but for all of you it’s an exciting new beginning. With Comcast, I leave you in good hands and have no doubt that you will continue to do great things. I look forward to following your progress.
  • Departing NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker • In a memo to his employees on the company’s financial performance, the last such report before the soon-to-complete Comcast deal. Zucker, the man probably most responsible for the Jay Leno/Conan mess, is leaving a company he’s worked at for a solid 25 years. Sorry, we’re finding it hard to type. We have something in our eyes. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Jan 2011 22:30

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Biz: Comcast + Hulu – Power to control its investment = Is that enough?

  • problemComcast wants to buy NBC Universal, but has significant reason to competitively damage online streaming site Hulu, which NBC owns a 30 percent stake in. TV fans are worried.
  • solutionThe Department of Justice is forcing Comcast out of Hulu boardroom meetings, meaning they have to allow NBC content on Hulu, but otherwise have no influence on the company. source
  • » Will this be enough? It’s too early to tell, but the Justice Department’s restrictions on Hulu essentially put Comcast in a position of wanting Hulu to succeed, because they won’t be able to sabotage it directly, but their money is still backing it. Comcast’s Executive Vice President David Cohen put it like so: “We continue to have an interest in the growth and advancement of Hulu …and we obviously prefer to maintain our ownership position and our partnership with our content.” Let’s see if this is what actually happens. (thanks popculturebrain)
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Dec 2010 11:05

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Biz: Will that Comcast/NBC Universal deal finally go through?

  • Depends on which bureaucrat you ask. In what’s looking to be a banner week for the FCC (note dripping sarcasm), Julius Genachowski said that he’s angling to approve the mega-merger, which would put Comcast in a position to screw over millions of consumers at once. That said, the merged company will agree to be willing to share their content with other companies (important) as well as with Web video firms like Netflix and Hulu (EXTREMELY important). The Justice Department, however, has yet to offer an official opinion on the merger but is rumored to not be super-happy about how the deal might affect competition. So, even if the FCC passes it, the DOJ may decline it for antitrust reasons. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Sep 2010 11:37

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Culture: Months after Conan screw-up, NBC head Jeff Zucker is out

  • You win, Conan fans. And TV fans in general. It took a few months to hit, but Jeff Zucker – a.k.a. the guy who set up the disastrous Jay Leno lineup switch last season – is headed out the door in the wake of the Comcast merger, and not by his own choosing. “in the last nine months it became increasingly clear that they did want to put their own team in place — and I didn’t want to end up being a guest in my own house,” he said. While NBC’s cable networks did great, the mothership struggled, and as a result, Zucker’s out. Good riddance. You deserve it for what you did to Conan O’Brien. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

10 Jan 2010 20:25

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Biz, Culture: NBC’s Leno quick-fix really a reboot for the entire network

  • For us right now, instead of trying to reinvent, going back to basics is probably the smartest play.
  • NBC Universal Television Chairman Jeff Gaspin • Regarding the changes to the network’s late-night schedule (which, by the way, he confirmed), but in a broader sense, the entire network. NBC has spent the last few years trying to shake up its business model – getting rid of the traditional television upfront, working on innovative advertising deals and coming up with ways to save costs that turn the traditional network television model on its head. “The Jay Leno Show” was really the crux of a long period of corporate thinking. Gaspin’s basically admitting the whole idea was a failure. Wow. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Dec 2009 09:53

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Biz: Twitter’s still trying to make sense of the NBC Universal/Comcast deal

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Dec 2009 09:08

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Biz: Comcast and NBC finally announce their massive merger

  • $30
    billion     the value of the merger, announced this morning after months of rumors suggesting it
  • 51/49
    split     the breakdown of the company’s ownership; Comcast is big spoon, GE is little spoon source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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