With Comcast, art imitates life: NBC execs worry about jobs, watchdog groups worry about programming

Art seems to be imitating life in some aspects of the Comcast-NBC Universal acquisition. A running joke on the NBC show 30 Rock is that Kabeltown, a thinly veiled doppelganger of Comcast, is taking over the network and executives are worried about their jobs. A second line is that Kabeltown makes most of its money from porn.

Now, a New York Post story confirms that NBC execs are, indeed, sweating out their jobs and a coalition led by the Parents Television Council (PTC) and allied Christian groups want to know how much revenue Comcast brings in from "pornographic and adult entertainment programming."

The execs, the Post story said, should learn their fate soon since an organizational chart of the combined company (and does anyone still doubt it will be combined?) will be prepared by September. Among the names mentioned as part of that new chart is Robert Greenblatt, late of Showtime Networks, who says that he's heard rumors about his move to NBC but has not talked to anyone at the network or Comcast about such a move.

As for the porn, PTC President Tim Winter issued a statement that "Comcast is one of the most far-reaching distributors of pornography in the communities it serves" and questioned whether the company was moral enough to acquire a network. The ever-busy Comcast spokeswoman Sena Fitzmaurice replied with the company line that people are in control of what they watch and can "make their own choices." It's the old if-you-don't-like-what's-on, turn-the-dial argument taken to the next step of actually providing parental controls for digital cable programming.

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