Comcast's next hurdle:
Winning FCC approval
Other shorts: 'FlashForward' going on hiatus
By Louisa Ada Seltzer
Dec 4, 2009
Comcast's next hurdle: Getting FCC approval
Comcast, General Electric and Vivendi finally worked out the hurdles to Comcast's acquisition of a controlling interest in NBC Universal. But there's still at least one big hurdle to cross before Comcast-NBCU becomes a reality, and yesterday one of the major players had tough words for the principals in the merger. The deal must be okayed by the Federal Communications Commission, and commissioner Michael Copps, a longtime opponent of media consolidation, signaled yesterday that he will take a lot of convincing. "As the economy recovers, we will see more proposed media industry combinations. While I look at each proposed transaction on its individual merits, my long-standing skepticism about the harms imposed by so few controlling so much persists," he said in a statement released hours after Comcast announced the deal. Copps said he has concerns about how the deal would affect minorities, newsgathering operations, consumer pricing, network neutrality and marketplace competition. FCC chairman Julius Genachowski offered a more middle-of-the-road assessment, saying, "The FCC will carefully examine the proposed merger and will be thorough, fair, and fact-based in its review."
Programming notes: 'FlashForward' going on hiatus
Viewers will have to flash forward to March for the return of ABC’s new series “FlashForward.” The network is delaying new episodes of the show until then in order to avoid competing against NBC's Winter Olympics, which air in February, and allow it to air the rest of the first season straight through without repeats. Viewers expected the show to return in January, but a teaser airing after last night's show said the next episode will premiere March 4. It's a risky strategy for a drama whose ratings have fallen sharply since its premiere. "FlashForward" debuted with a 4.1 rating among 18-49s, but its most recent episode slipped to a 2.4. While airing new episodes all together is becoming more common for serialized dramas, new shows can suffer when they go off the air for long spans, as the writers' strike proved two years ago. Meanwhile, in other programming, Golf Channel will roll out a new season of “The Haney Project” on March 1 at 9 p.m., in which actor Ray Romano will take lessons from Hank Haney, Tiger Woods’ swing coach. Last season featured former NBA star Charles Barkley. MTV has renewed two series, giving the go-ahead for a sixth season of “The Hills” and a second season of its spinoff “The City.” And BBC America in coming weeks will air the U.S. premieres of three “Doctor Who” specials, in which actor David Tennant ends his run as Who. The first, “Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars” will air on Dec. 19, with the second airing on Dec. 26 and the third at Jan. 2.
National Geographic Adventure shuts down
Yet another magazine is folding its print edition and moving to web-only publication. The National Geographic Society said yesterday that it’s closing National Geographic Adventure after failing to find a buyer for the 10-year-old title, putting 17 people out of a job. The December/January issue of Adventure will be its last. Like many other publications, Adventure has suffered mightily during the recession. Through the first three quarters of the year, ad pages in the title slipped 44.1 percent, according to the Publishers Information Bureau data, from about 339 to 189. In a statement, National Geographic Magazine Group president John Griffin said that the Adventure brand will live on. In addition to the web site, several newsstand-only magazines will be produced annually, as will Adventure-branded books, e-magazines and mobile applications. The move is similar to one made earlier this week by African American-focused Giant magazine, which shut down the print edition of the title in favor of GiantLife.com.
Coming to the digital newsstand, Hearst's Skiff
Publishers are piling on the digital newsstand bandwagon. Days after word came that major publishers including Condé Nast and Time Inc. were banding together to create an online newsstand, Hearst, one of the reported participants in that deal, has announced its own service called Skiff, which will sell newspaper and magazine content for a variety of e-readers, including a Skiff-branded one, as well as smartphones and netbooks. Skiff will launch in 2010, apparently as a rival to the Kindle store offered by Amazon, promising better graphics and layouts that more closely mimic print than previous e-magazines. Publishers have been concerned that third-party devices such as the Kindle will prevent them from selling their own. By launching its own newsstand, Hearst retains a greater modicum of control over its product. It was unclear whether the initiative by Hearst, the owner of magazines including Cosmopolitan and newspapers such as the San Francisco Chronicle, is related to the Time Inc. digital newsstand.
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