Maybe there is something to all those conspiracy theories about Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA) having a hand in Keith Olbermann's sudden leave-taking at MSNBC. Word now is that former Pennsylvania Gov. and Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell, a man with multiple Comcast connections, will get a gig with the MSO's newly owned network.
Rendell's connections to Comcast--the most prized corporation in his hometown--are legion. For years he has made a weekly appearance on a post-game Eagles football talk show on Comcast's Philadelphia sports channel and David Cohen, the Comcast VP given much of the credit with nursing the NBC Universal merger through the legislative beatings, was Rendell's right hand man when he was Philadelphia mayor.
The ease with which Rendell can seemingly move from participating in politics to talking about them should not be denigrated--even with his obvious insider status at Comcast. Former Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) CEO Eric Schmidt couldn't do it. Schmidt apparently tried his hand at a cable news show and even filmed a pilot but it was, The New York Post reports, "a complete disaster."
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