Earlier this week, General Electric (GE) CEO Jeffrey Immelt gave a speech at a conference on free enterprise. Energy Policy Analyst William Yeatman points out the irony of a career rent-seeker extolling free markets. GE spent $47 million in 2007 lobbying for an incandescent light bulb ban, cap-and-trade carbon regulations, and other government policies that would tilt the playing field in GE’s favor. Its compact fluorescent and LED bulbs offer a higher profit margin.Yeatman also discusses a bill currently winding through Congress that would repeal the lightbulb ban.
NBC
The House passed the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act on Wednesday. If it becomes law, the FCC would control the volume level of television commercials. Some of them are noticeably louder than regular programming. This is, to put it tactfully, irritating.
Rep. Rick Boucher told the Associated Press that “It’s an annoying experience, and something really should be done about it.”
He was talking about the commercials, though his remarks better fit the regulations he voted for.
Still, he’s right that something needs to be done. Loud commercials are a nuisance. They are also avoidable. For example, I avoid them by watching as little television as possible. Maybe read a book or spend time with loved ones instead. There are other ways, too. Here are a few:
-Use the mute button on your remote.
-If you have DVR and you’re watching a show you recorded, you can fast forward through the commercials.
-Change the channel.
-Let broadcasters know how you feel. Tell them not to run loud commercials. You can contact ABC here; CBS here; Fox here; and NBC here. They’d rather you watch their channel than not, after all. And the best way to prevent a viewer exodus is not alienating them.
Besides, they’d probably rather hear from you than the FCC.
(Hat tip to Fred Smith)
Media watchdogs are having a fit this week over the announced agreement between Comcast and NBC Universal. Under this deal, Comcast will hold 51% of NBC, while General Electric holds onto 49%. Tom Jicha at the Sun-Sentinel accurately describes what we can expect in the coming months as both companies seek the government’s approval of the deal:
It will be more than a year before federal regulatory authorities sign off on the deal after hearings indulging every crackpot, gadfly and political activist group with an ax to grind against Comcast, NBC, TV or life in general.
To say that those media activists making a fuss over this media merger (business as usual for them) are missing the bigger picture would be a huge understatement. In the age of youtube, hulu, and a plethora of other video-hosting websites, subscription cable TV is a content distribution channel with a looming expiration date. In purchasing a controlling stake in a large content enterprise, Comcast is wisely looking ahead to the future. Comcast’s alleged market power in providing cable TV will not last indefinitely. As consumers spend more time online streaming their favorite TV shows, many of them are realizing that much of what they get for a $70/month cable subscription can be viewed on the web for free. If Comcast doesn’t diversify its holdings, it will face huge problems in the next few years as its biggest revenue source – cable subscriptions – dries up.
The methods of content distribution in the entertainment industry are changing. The most innovative and successful companies are those that rethink their business strategy, anticipate future trends, and adapt to changing market conditions. Comcast should be allowed to remain competitive by expanding its business holdings – including acquiring a stake in a more robust sector of the industry – without a long, costly government inquiry standing in its way.
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