on camera A candidate like Mitt Romney, for example, fields questions day in and day out, and it’s not an easy racket. NBC’s Chuck Todd explains: “[It’s] tough to have the 75th interview in the last 72 hours. Everything’s been asked.” It’s a game where being first and asking the best questions is key.
off camera Members of Romney’s press bus tour have traveled since June. NBC reporter, producer and cameraman Garrett Haake explains it as such: “You’re running around. You’re on buses. You’re on planes. You don’t see your family, but you wake up in the morning and you still really want to do it.” source
I am going to tell you your kiddie has no talent…this nonsense of Howie and Sharon putting through less than talented people has got to stop. Under my administration, there will be no Frank Sinatra impersonators winning.
Howard Stern • On his new job as judge on “America’s got Talent,” replacing Piers Morgan, who’s going to focus on his popular CNN show. Some people are not on board with the new addition to the show, while others are ready for the honesty he’ll bring to the table. Especially Stern. “I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but feelings are going to be hurt,” Stern said. Will this discourage some of the softer competitors from trying out or force a tougher crowd? Who knows. We’re just excited to see what names Stern plans to call little children. source
Ryan, You need to get off TWITTER immediately and protect your family from the hurricane. That is an order.
A suspicious e-mail sent to NBC director of social media Ryan Osborn • Leading to a possible infiltration of Osborn’s computer. Osborn, being obviously confused by such a weird message (received during Hurricane Irene), responded and received another message in return that said “I’m the girl next door” and contained an attachment. Osborn then mistakenly opened the attachment which contained a Christmas tree. Security experts say an infiltration like that could have caused a keylogger to get installed on Osborn’s computer, which may have led to yesterday’s hack. This, of course, underlines why having strong computer security is important, even for an organization like NBC News, which claims their security was otherwise so tight that only three executives knew the Twitter account’s password. And how far The Script Kiddies were willing to go to pull off such a hack. source
January After a long year of hand-wringing, including much complaining by consumer groups, the FCC approved the merger of NBC Universal and Comcast by 4–1. There was much teeth-grinding.
May One of the four commissioners who voted for the merger, Meredith Attwell Baker, has a new job. Wanna guess where? It rhymes with “bombast.” Or, perhaps, “total conflict of interest.” source
thenLast Year, Politico and NBC News announced plans to host a Republican presidential debate on May 2nd of this year. It was to be the first debate of election season.
nowBecause so few candidates have declared their candidacy, NBC and Politico are postponing the debate until September. Now, Fox’s May 5th debate will be the first. source
Close call for NBC’s Richard Engel: Engel, a truly fantastic foreign correspondent (and NBC’s chief correspondent in the Middle East) is on the ground in Libya, covering the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi. While interviewing rebel forces, an artillery strike hit that sent Engel scrambling for cover behind a tiny cement wall, a harrowingly close call. Not to be overlooked is the sight Engel was describing as the explosion hit; a rebel fighter who was carrying a plastic toy gun around, presumably to try to trick enemies into thinking he’s lethally armed, a toy gun he amazingly darts out of cover to try to retrieve during the strike. source
BBC Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq told BBC Arabic that the possibility of Hosni Mubarak’s departure was being discussed, without giving a timetable.
Ch. 4Reporter Lindsey Hilsum says that she got word from Hossam Badrawy, the new leader of Mubarak’s National Democratic Party, that he could be out tonight.
NBC The network says that they got confirmation that he is leaving from a source inside the presidential office, then confirmed it with another source. Hmm. source
For me, that chapter’s ending, but for all of you it’s an exciting new beginning. With Comcast, I leave you in good hands and have no doubt that you will continue to do great things. I look forward to following your progress.
Departing NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker • In a memo to his employees on the company’s financial performance, the last such report before the soon-to-complete Comcast deal. Zucker, the man probably most responsible for the Jay Leno/Conan mess, is leaving a company he’s worked at for a solid 25 years. Sorry, we’re finding it hard to type. We have something in our eyes. source
problemComcast wants to buy NBC Universal, but has significant reason to competitively damage online streaming site Hulu, which NBC owns a 30 percent stake in. TV fans are worried.
solutionThe Department of Justice is forcing Comcast out of Hulu boardroom meetings, meaning they have to allow NBC content on Hulu, but otherwise have no influence on the company. source
» Will this be enough? It’s too early to tell, but the Justice Department’s restrictions on Hulu essentially put Comcast in a position of wanting Hulu to succeed, because they won’t be able to sabotage it directly, but their money is still backing it. Comcast’s Executive Vice President David Cohen put it like so: “We continue to have an interest in the growth and advancement of Hulu …and we obviously prefer to maintain our ownership position and our partnership with our content.” Let’s see if this is what actually happens. (thanks popculturebrain)
