Leading Hollywood trade publication Variety casually mentioned today what may ultimately become a major topic of discussion in communities of color. If a minority group gets the opportunity to own a few NBC affiliate stations in order for Congress to approve the 30 billion-dollar Comcast-NBCU merger, the burning question becomes -- who will it be? This is how the piece began:
It took just 16 hours to resolve the TV biz's first burning question of 2010.
But the brutal rights battle between Time Warner Cable and Fox, peacefully settled on New Year's Day, was not the only unresolved issue facing the industry at the dawn of the decade.
Topping the roster of unanswered questions for 2010, of course, is how the Comcast acquisition of NBC Universal (or, as Peacock execs like to more gently call it, the "joint venture") will shake out.
Current President Jeff Zucker appears to be a lock to remain at the conglom, having just signed a contract extension. There's also the unresolved issue of how the combined companies' channels will be integrated, and how duties will be realigned between NBC U and Comcast execs -- particularly on the cable side.
Just reading the above might just leave you wondering, where's the beef?
But here's the kicker:
Comcast will also probably have to make some concessions to Washington regulators in order to get the deal approved. One guess: Comcast will be forced to sell a handful of NBC-owned TV stations, perhaps to a minority-owned station group, to appease lawmakers.
Translation -- it's time to start contacting members of the Congressional Black Caucus and let them know that an opportunity will soon be presenting itself as this deal continues to top headlines. If strategies are not in place to insure qualified African Americans are at least in line to bid, this will be yet another economic venture that passes our community by.
Stay tuned!