Comcast gets NBC from G.E.

Comcast finally reached an agreement on Thursday to get NBC Universal from the General Electric Company, nytimes.com reports.

Through the agreement, Comcast will own 51 percent and G.E. will own 49 percent of the network. Comcast will pay for the cable channels, including Versus, the Golf Channel, and E Entertainment and will pay G.E. about $6.5 billion in cash, for a total of $13.75 billion.

Comcast tried to place a takeover bid for The Walt Disney Company in 2004, but failed. Since then, the company has been buying stake in MGM trying to build up smaller cable channels and regional sports networks.

Before this deal, G.E. had tried to entice Time Warner into an agreement. Also, Rupert Murdoch, from the News Corporation, considered making an offer for NBC Universal.

The deal valued NBC Universal at about $30 billion. The network will remain NBC Universal for now, but Comcast could decide to change the name at a later date.

My Take: This story is important, especially for those in the television industry, because it is giving a cable provider the opportunity to be a major producer of television shows and movies. This is a huge step for other providers and also for broadcast networks that have been affected by the decline in ratings and viewership.

New deadline for Penn Traffic to find buyer

The deadline for Penn Traffic to find a buyer was extended to the close of business Thursday, 9wsyr.com reports.

Penn Traffic, which operates 79 grocery stores across New York, Pennsylvania and New England, asked for an extension on Tuesday. If the grocery store cannot find a buyer, lenders could cut off funding to the company. This would make it impossible for Penn Traffic to afford the stores.

The company filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection about two weeks ago.

My Take: This story is important because without the funding, the company will need to shut down their grocery stores. As a student living on South Campus, this is extremely important because one of the grocery stores that has been set to close is the P&C located down the street. Without this grocery store, it will be difficult to buy food without a car.  

Adam Lambert says ABC cancels more appearances

Adam Lambert finds himself an unwanted guest on ABC more than a week after his controversial performance at the American Music Awards, nytimes.com reports.

According to his Twitter account, Lambert wrote to fans saying that his appearances on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” special had been withdrawn.

Last week, ABC cancelled a planned appearance of Lambert on their early morning talk show, “Good Morning America.” ABC said they were concerned that the singer would give another “controversial” performance “so early in the morning.”

On his Twitter account, Lambert said that he wanted everyone to focus on being positive. He also said that he was still booked to appear on “The Jay Leno Show” on NBC.

My Take: This story is important, especially in the time we live now, because it is dealing with someone who is gay. As Adam Lambert said in an interview after his controversial performance, he was getting into the music. In the past music celebrities, such as Britney Spears or Madonna, have performed the same provocative moves on stage, but since he is gay, it has sparked a whole controversy surrounding it.