Comcast and NBC Have a Diversity Problem
Posted March 2nd, 2010 by Josh Stearns
When we talk about the possible merger of Comcast and NBC-Universal, we are talking about a deal that will reshape our media system. As we consider the threats and opportunities this merger presents, we should ask ourselves what we want our media to look like in five years, in ten years, and even further into the future. If we envision a democratic, diverse media system, then this merger should raise some red flags.
Both Comcast CEO Brian Roberts and NBC CEO Jeff Zucker claimed in their opening remarks that they had made diversity a priority in their companies. But when pushed by representatives at the hearing, this commitment to diversity began to look as hollow and empty as all their other promises. Zucker claimed that NBC can’t find any good programming that includes African American themes and issues. Brian Roberts had no excuses for why his board includes just one woman and one person of color.
Watch:
Rep. Maxine Waters (D.-CA) summed it up when she said, “You’ve got a diversity problem, you’ve got a labor problem and you’ve got an ownership problem… So I don’t know why I should be supportive of your merger.”
But then, this is not a new issue for Comcast. In his book Comcasted, Joseph Distefano from the Philadelphia Inquirer, chronicles how Comcast built its media empire:
If we’re disturbed by how our media looks now, we should be even more worried about what will happen when these two companies team up. If we let this merger go through, this is what the future of our media system looks like. I personally don’t like what I see.
