One of Comcast's (Nasdaq: CMCSA) first official acts as proud parents of NBC Universal is to rename its offspring--ever so slightly--NBCUniversal. The new logo, which CEO Steve Burke said won't be seen by many consumers, does not include NBC's peacock. "The peacock is one of the strongest icons in America; it will be a big part of NBC, CNBC and MSNBC for many years to come," Burke said.
The peacock could be a symbol of the types of changes that are in store for the NBCU employee base when the Philadelphia cable company starts imposing its will on the bi-coastal entertainment firm.
"We take our business seriously, but do not take ourselves too seriously," a Comcast credo distributed to 30,000 NBCU employees said. What Burke takes seriously is teamwork, as opposed to the office politics which have reportedly run rampant in NBCU for years.
Employees did get one immediate perk: free cable TV--as long as they live in a Comcast franchise area. Not surprisingly, considering the background of the acquisition, that perk comes with its own set of conditions. "We're talking full digital service but you have to pay for your own pay-per-views," Burke said.
For more:
- the Los Angeles Times has this story
- Broadcasting & Cable has this story
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