Sharpton Pushed for Comcast/NBC Merger – And Now Is In Line for Show on MSNBC
Remember how Al Sharpton was among the first black leaders to speak out in favor of Comcast's acquisition of NBC Universal? My recollection of this was vague at best, tending as I do to dismiss nearly everything coming from Sharpton as insignificant, predictable or clownish. Then after FCC approval of the merger back in January, Sharpton began appearing more often as a guest on MSNBC, a cable network subsidiary of NBC that performs yeoman's work in public relations for the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party. A July 27 article at The Daily Beast by Wayne Barrett, “Sharpton's Affirmative-Action Win,” asks whether Sharpton's expected new show on MSNBC is “payback” for supporting Comcast's merger with NBC Universal. Barrett's article leaves little doubt as to the answer. Barrett points out that Michael Copps, a Democrat serving on the FCC since 2001, voted against the merger, saying it “erodes diversity, localism and competition” and was a “stake in the heart of independent content production.” Barrett writes — But Mignon Clyburn, the daughter of South Carolina Congressman James Clyburn and the only minority member of the FCC, threw her decisive support behind the deal, citing a comprehensive diversity memorandum of agreement (MOU)
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on August 1, 2011. Filed under