Comments on: Comcast-NBC-U-OMG

By: Erin Copple Smith

Erin Copple Smith — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:11:47 +0000

I think the 30 Rock-related reactions are evidence of the show’s consistently amusing take on NBC corporate culture. Beyond the fact that TGS is a show-within-a-show on “NBC”…the show itself faces a lot of these topics in an entertaining and incisive way. So I think audiences expect Jack and Liz to address the Comcast buyout somehow.

By: Germaine Halegoua

Germaine Halegoua — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:40:35 +0000

On a slightly different note, I can’t help thinking about the Network Neutrality debate and how this deal can be used to propel both sides of the debate, and possibly provide a further potential cause for action on the part of US policy makers, or at least some really good fodder for press releases and calls to action.

Just thinking about the combination of Comcast’s now notorious efforts to “reasonably manage” aka slow BitTorrent traffic a few years ago, and their recent acquisition of NBCU’s Hulu as well as several other internet sites, and tons of media content, really doesn’t sit well with me.

The FCC under Genachowski has already been pushing for Net Neutrality, but I think it’s safe to assume that with this Comcast-NBCU deal, Net Neutrality will only be pushed further into the limelight. Which could be a very positive thing.

By: Jonathan Gray

Jonathan Gray — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:41:38 +0000

I love the freebie air freshener analogy (though I dunno how fresh the air is around the stink of Leno’s show).

But the Donaghy comment is intriguing me actually. It’s what most people I’ve seen have reached for straight away. I wonder if that tells us something about 30 Rock’s fan following, about humor, about the abstraction of the merger process, about all of the above, or about nothing. Anyone?

By: Erin Copple Smith

Erin Copple Smith — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:08:52 +0000

I know. The Jack Donaghy joke was tired and cheap, and yet…I was powerless to resist. You’re right that Aaron Sorkin’s take on the situation would be fascinating and incisive.

And the point about the “new era” is exactly right. Frankly, the thing I find most fascinating (and sad) about the buyout is the fact that NBC is like a freebie air freshener you get with a new car. Such a crazy situation when you’re talking about what used to be such a powerful broadcast net.

By: Jonathan Gray

Jonathan Gray — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:03:18 +0000

For all its problems, I wish Studio 60 were still around, since for all the comments and jokes I’m seeing from people about what Jack Donaghy would say, and how Tina Fey will find comic material in this, I most want to hear Aaron Sorkin’s take.

As for the “new era,” without firing Zucker and Leno (a move which most reports suggest is not in the cards), I don’t see how Comcast could improve the dire mess that is NBC

By: Erin Copple Smith

Erin Copple Smith — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:50:10 +0000

I feel remiss for failing to (snarkily) note that according to today's New York Times (the first link above), NBC-U president Jeff Zucker calls the merger, the "start of a new era" for NBC, an interesting assertion in light of the frequency of "starts of new eras" at the network lately. NBC itself, in fact, called the Jay Leno move a "new era" for the network only two months ago in an NBC.com news item.