Comcast's lies, opportunity and timing

[highplainsdem]

I posted last night that I thought the timing of Keith's departure from MSNBC had to do with next week's SOTU and the Republican response and how sharp Keith's analysis of both would have been.

But I believe that was the reason for the timing, not the primary reason for Keith leaving MSNBC, which seems to have everything to do with the Comcast takeover of NBC.

There have been predictions of this for quite a while, especially this New York Times article from last October

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/04/business/media/04suit.html

which links to a Columbia Journalism Review article going into great detail about Comcast's firing of Barry Nolan, a liberal critic of Bill O'Reilly:

http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/the_oreilly_factor.php?page=all

Comcast has been denying that its takeover of NBC had anything to do with Keith's departure. This is the statement they released, as quoted in the Village Voice:

Comcast has not closed the transaction for NBC Universal and has no operational control at any of its properties including MSNBC. We pledged from the day the deal was announced that we would not interfere with NBC Universal's news operations. We have not and we will not.

This is BS, and another departure from NBC Universal sheds light on how much Comcast is lying here.

I'm not talking about NBC Universal chief Jeff Zucker's departure, though that's been mentioned in any number of stories about Countdown.

I think what happened elsewhere at NBC sheds light on how involved Comcast has already been in running NBC and forcing people out, despite their lies and denials.

An NBC Departure Before Comcast Takeover

January 20, 2011, 8:30 pm
By BILL CARTER

Angela Bromstad, who has led the prime-time program development at NBC as the president of the Universal television studio, became the latest executive casualty of the coming takeover of NBC Universal by Comcast when she abruptly told her staff on Thursday she was leaving the company.

Ms. Bromstad, who had been involved in the development of such shows as “Heroes” and “House,” had been expected to stay on when Robert Greenblatt assumes control of NBC’s entertainment operations. But the plan changed this week, and Ms. Bromstad, without elaboration, informed her staff she would be leaving.

Mr. Greenblatt will assume official duties at NBC Entertainment on Jan 31. But NBC executives have said he has been quietly active in decision making in the division for several weeks, and with government approval of the takeover completed this week, he has been freed to take a more direct role.

There's no reason to believe the same thing hasn't happened at MSNBC, with Comcast having been "quietly active in decision making" for some time, and now feeling "freed to take a more direct role."

It's true that Comcast should realize having their takeover blamed for Keith's departure would make them look very bad. Even Dan Kennedy -- who wrote about Comcast's firing of Barry Nolan for the Boston Phoenix, and who was quoted in the NY Times article linked above as saying that "Keith Olbermann may prove to be Barry Nolan writ large" -- is saying on his Media Nation website, "For Comcast executives to move against Olbermann so quickly would suggest an unimaginable political tone-deafness."

http://www.dankennedy.net/2011/01/21/whats-behind-keith-olbermanns-departure/

But I believe the same thing could have been said about Comcast's firing of Barry Nolan.

I did wonder about the timing at first, since this does make the Comcast takeover more obviously to blame.

But then I started wondering if there were any possible advantages to forcing Keith out this week.

I can think of only one: that with next week's SOTU and the Republican response providing such an opportunity for Keith's trenchant analysis to outshine everything else that will likely be said -- and with Comcast likely to be blamed anyway, any time Keith would leave in the near future -- they decided to make their move and force him out now.

I don't believe that this was a mutual decision by Keith and the execs at MSNBC/Comcast, and I especially don't believe Keith would have chosen to leave just days before the SOTU.

[tsuki]

1. Wait, Comcastrophe is a great humanitarian company. Look at

all the homeless people it found warmth and shelter for at the FCC during the net neutrality hearings.

Actually, it sound like some politicians extracted a done-deal promise before the final sign off on the merger would take place. I don't think the SOTU had anything to do with it.

[snappyturtle]

2. Convenient, isn't it? Plus the fact that the dismissal is still under MSNBC's watch.

Comcast=cowards imho

[highplainsdem]

5. I agree.

[highplainsdem]

3. kick

[Duppers]

4. great post, great info

thanks.

K & R

[highplainsdem]

6. Thanks!