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^Jortlanò (Dbseruvr
lune 16. 2010
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Comcast-NBC Merger: A Bad
Cost to the
public too high
by
C orie W right
When you watch
the news or read the
paper, it's not hard to
find evidence o f the
negative im pact o f
media consolidation.
As media companies get bigger,
local news and in-depth report­
ing take a backseat to sensation­
alism and celebrity gossip.
Now there’s a new media
merger on the horizon. And it's a
real doozy.
A few months ago, cable gi­
ant Comcast announced it would
buy NBC. Comcast has agreed
to pay billions o f dollars to ac­
quire the venerable broadcaster-
-but the cost to the public will be
far greater.
If Comcast, the nation's larg­
est cable and Internet access
provider, takes over NBC, it
w ould be the largest m edia
merger in a generation.
The combined company would
include the NBC broadcast net­
work (which supplies program­
ming to NBC-affiliated stations
all over the country), 10 NBC
ow ned-and-operated TV sta­
tions, the Telemundo broadcast
network, 16 owned-and-oper­
ated Spanish language TV sta­
tions, Internet properties, exclu­
sive rights to the Olympic games,
regional sports networks, televi­
sion and movie studios as well as
an ownership stake in a slew of
c a b le c h a n n e ls , in c lu d in g
MSNBC, the USA Network, and
El.
In short, Comcast and NBC
would control a sizeable chunk
o f the content you watch, as well
as access to the platforms you
use to watch it—namely, broad­
cast TV, cable TV, and the
Internet.
Indeed, market analysts have
e stim a te d that a co m b in ed
Com cast/N BC would control
one in every five hours o f televi­
sion viewing.
The proposed m erger
also threatens competition
and in n ovation as new
forms o f on line video deliv­
ery, like H ulu.com , are
emerging and gaining audi­
ences. Ifthe merger is approved,
Comcast could prioritize its own
online content and stifle the free
flow o f Internet traffic, giving
you less choice in what you watch
and how you watch it online.
If this seems like a raw deal
for consumers, you're right. But
that hasn't stopped C om cast
from shelling out millions to con­
vince W ashington otherwise.
Comcast spent $ 12.6 million on
100 lobbyists in 2009, and an­
other $3.1 million in the first
quarter o f 2010. Most o f this has
gone toward hiring Beltway in­
siders, including 78 former gov­
ernment officials, to join its lob­
bying arm.
That may sound pricey, but
ranked Comcast as one o f the five
“Highest Paid Worst Perform­
ers” in America. Roberts' 2008
compensation: $40.8 million.
Ifyou’re a Comcast customer,
you probably think that money
would be better spent improving
I f you fe a Comcast customer, you
probably think that money would be better
spent improving your service or lowering
your bills rather than helping Comcast get
even bigger.
Comcast can well afford it. In
2009, Comcast's operating income
was $7.2 billion, up 7 percent from
the year before. Plus, spending
$15 million on 100 lobbyists is
chump change when you con­
sider what Comcast pays its top
brass. Last year, CNN Money
Even so, Comcast's customers
have already endured price hikes
of nearly 50 percent in some ar­
eas. Clearly, the company isn’t
above padding its bottom line by
raising your cable rates.
That's the bad news. Here's
the good news: The government
gets to review the proposed
merger. The Department o f Jus­
tice and the Federal Com muni­
cations Commission are sup­
posed to carefully review the
transaction and consider what's
best for us—the public.
Please tell them what you
think. The FCC is taking public
comments until June 21. Visit
freepress.net/comcastaction be­
fore it's too late and tell the FCC
why it should reject this bad deal
for the American people.
your service or lowering your
bills rather than helping Comcast
get even bigger. Comcast con­
sistently ranks among the worst
companies in customer service,
and the Consumerist recently
named it the “Worst Company in
Corie Wright is policy coun­
A m erica.”
sel fo r Free Press.
a /t oons
O f OH
GOSH
SO SARAH YOU ARE
NOW BLAMING OBAMA
FOR ARIZONA'S ANTI-
IMMIGRATION LAW.
CAN YOU TELL US WHAT
IF ANYTHING, BUSH DID
TO PROTECT OUR BORDERS
DURING HIS 8 YEARS?
DARN!
WELL BUSHY
GAVE US THE
PATRIOT ACT
RIGHT??
è *»*»
■
I
The news over the M em o­
rial Day w eekend that crim es
were com m itted against O r­
egonians sim ply because they
are gay is a stark rem inder that
we m ust do m ore to battle hate
crim es in Oregon.
te the CCditer
That some o f these crim es
went unreported is unfortunate.
That is why I applaud A ttor­
ney G eneral John K roger’s an­
nouncem ent o f a new online
hate crim e reporting form.
Victims often have legitimate
fears about going public by re­
porting hate crimes. An anony­
mous, online reporting system
has the potential to encourage
victims to seek justice.
I also support K roger’s plan
to com pile a five-year list o f
Battling Hate Crimes
hate crim es in Oregon.
In this day and age, in the
great state o f O regon, it is sim ­
ply no longer an option to ig­
nore the real threats the gay,
le s b ia n ,
b is e x u a l
an d
transgender com m unity faces
on a regular basis. We m ust
protect the civil rights o f all
O re g o n ia n s , re g a r d le s s o f
sexual orientation and gender
identity.
State Rep. Tina Kotek
North Portland