general electric
NBC News Chief Defends Jeff Zucker
It's no secret that Jeff Zucker is the most hated man in broadcasting. That is, if you don't work for NBC or GE. While Zucker has spent his time overseeing NBC and NBC Universal tinkering and experimenting the broadcast network into a fourth-place laughingstock, there is a reason why he continues to remain at the company and get more and more responsibility: the man makes GE money. While the NBC broadcast network hemorrhages cash, NBCU's cable consortium makes money in buckets. Even in the NBC microcosm, NBC News is making money with 'Today' and the 'NBC Nightly News' while the entertainment and sports divisions aren't doing well. Which is why it's not surprising that news president Steve Capus defended his boss to Jon Friedman of Marketwatch.com.
Even a takeover can't save NBC
There are very few sure fire signs that a network is completely worthless and this is one of them. Comcast has been looking to buy the financially troubled NBC from General Electric, but Wall Street insiders say the deal won't be good for Comcast's stock.
Even confirmed reports of a takeover bid can't save the network in the eyes of the almighty stockholder. What would make NBC more profitable in Wall Street's eyes?
Olbermann, O'Reilly told to end personal feud, which just creates another feud
It seems the never-ending feud between Keith Olbermann and Bill O'Reilly has become a kangaroo boxing match. The worst thing you can do is get in the middle of it. That's exactly what the parent owners of Fox News and MSNBC tried to do when they arranged a "cease-fire" between them and their top-tier shows' "lieutenants."
The cease-fire, however, didn't last long. It's another case of the ol' Rufus T. Firefly conundrum for peace. Either side might be willing to do whatever it takes to end this war, but they've already paid two months' rent on the battlefield.
30 Rock: Rosemary's Baby

(S02E04) Notice I don't have a quote above like I usually do? More on that after the jump.
This week we discover what happens when one of the NBC page jackets is damaged, why Tracy shouldn't be involved in dogfighting, and what might happen to Liz in 20 or 30 years if she doesn't start saving money.
30 Rock: The Collection
(S02E03) "I could never pay an English-speaking woman that little - they'd starve!" - Jack, about his household staff
This year many of us here at TV Squad have been featuring our favorite quotes at the start of each review. Most of the time it's pretty easy to pick out the best line (on a show like Bionic Woman they stand out), but it's not the easiest thing to do on a comedy like 30 Rock. There's always at least six laugh out loud lines and about 5 lines that aren't hysterical but are bizarrely clever. That was true of tonight's episode too, and I hope you agree the above comment was one of the better ones.
Reports say Jeff Zucker will be named NBCU's CEO this week
Both the AP and TV Week are reporting that Jeff Zucker, currently the CEO of NBC Universal's television group, will take over for Bob Wright as NBCU's overall CEO, with an announcement to be made sometime this week.This means that Zucker will oversee a pretty sizable entertainment conglomerate, which owns the network, the television production arm, and the Universal movie studio and theme parks. Wright was supposed to stay on until the end of the year but made the move after his boss, General Electric chairman Jeff Immelt, insisted he do so; he will remain as Chairman until the transition is completed.
The TV Funhouse segment you won't see this Saturday
Robert Smigel started airing his animated "TV Funhouse" segements on
Saturday Night Live back in 1996. In 1998, he created a short called "Conspiracy Theory Rock" which
poked fun at corporate ownership of television networks, and was especially scathing when it came to NBC and its parent
company, General Electric. The segment aired only once and was never seen again. According to NBC, however, it wasn't
pulled due to content, but to allow for a second
Backstreet Boys performance when the episode was re-aired. Well, it is hard to say no to the Backstreet Boys,
that's for sure. Anyway, you can check out the short here. Or
alternatively, watch this Backstreet Boys
video. Like NBC, I know it's often difficult to choose between the two.
Update: I left the link, but as of right now it appears to be broken. Sorry, guys.
[via Cartoon Brew]
Bravo launching gay & lesbian channel online
Bravo is teaming up with PlanetOut, the largest gay media
company in the nation, to create a broadband channel at OutZonetv.com. The website
will feature various reality and documentary series targeted for a gay and lesbian audience. The president of Bravo
says it's a far less expensive risk to launch original programming on the web than it is to create a brand new cable
channel.Outzone is the third broadband broadcasting project for Bravo. Last year, the company announced it was shutting down Trio on the air and putting it exclusively on the web. It also created a spin-off web channel, BrilliantbutCancelled.com, which currently offers episodes of only one show, EZ Streets, starring Joe Pantoliano.
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