Through the Wire
by Linda Haugsted, Ted Hearn and R. Thomas Umstead -- Multichannel News, 12/21/2008 7:00:00 PM
NBC's Digital Universe Goes on Display at CES
NBC Universal is stepping up its presence at January's International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, an increasingly key event for TV executives. The programmer will have a 9,000-square-foot booth to host live telecasts, industry bloggers and “showcase the ways consumers can maximize their experience in the digital age” by downloading company content on a multitude of platforms and devices.
It landed a plum location — the heart of the main show floor — partly from being the official broadcast partner of CES. NBCU describes its booth as an “experiential platform,” showcasing content from all its TV outlets and its theatrical and digital divisions.
Included will be a working TV broadcast stage and control center, as well as interactive kiosks, powered by Mediaport, where visitors will be able to download free content on to complimentary micro SD cards provided by Sandisk. The Weather Channel, now an NBCU property, will be featured in a panoramic video experience, as will content from Sci Fi Channel, USA Network and other sources.
CNBC's Power Lunch and Closing Bell and MSNBC's Your Business will run special programs originating from CES from Jan. 8 to 11. Other live programming will feature Al Roker, Maria Bartiromo, Nancy O'Dell and Jimmy Fallon.
For the first time, NBCU will host bloggers from NBC News, Sci Fi's DVICE, iVillage and NBCU digital properties, posting from the Sharp/NBC Universal Multimedia Lounge. Web site NBCUatCES.com will be the touch point for information about the company's CES news and programming announcements. Other business and entertainment industry bloggers will also work out of the lounge.
Those interested can register for updates to their cell phones via NBC's Twitter feed.
Also at CES, Discovery Channel will be filming content for Brink, a series that showcases interactive science information. Discovery is planning a one-hour CES special. The gadget fest will also be subject to regular reports from a variety of outlets, including CNN and G4.
Krone Joins Reid'sLeadership Staff
It didn't take David Krone long to land a big job in Washington, D.C.
Krone, who left a senior post at Comcast in October, was hired last week by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to fill a top policy slot for the man responsible for passing incoming President Barack Obama's legislative agenda in the Senate.
His addition was announced in Reid's breezy newsletter, The Weekly Reid. After noting Krone's cable background, the newsletter described his new mission as “handling the coordination and integration of policy, message and outreach.”
Part of Obama's agenda includes a stimulus package that might include tax incentives to improve broadband technology and increase the number of consumers with access to high-speed Internet platforms. Whether or not “Net Neutrality” conditions are tied to the stimulus plan is a question Reid will have an important say in deciding.
Krone, 42, who starts officially with Reid in less than two weeks, has held a number of senior positions in cable, which has spent the last three years battling the likes of Google, Yahoo and Microsoft on the Net Neutrality front.
Comcast spent the better part of 2008 trying to stop the Federal Communications Commission from finding that the company had discriminated against P2P applications in violation of the agency's Internet non-discrimination principles. That matter is now in federal court.
“It's true [Krone] came from cable … but it's also true he's a loyal Democrat (as he wrote on the Huffington Post). So the question will be whether he wants to help the Senate majority leader thwart one of the new president's chief objectives. One hopes not,” said Art Brodsky, communications director of Public Knowledge, a group that supports government-imposed rules that require broadband access providers to treat all content the same.
Keyshia Coles SingsFor FiOS Customers
R&B superstar recording artist Keyshia Coles last Tuesday helped Verizon sing the praises of New York consumers who have recently signed up for its FIOS TV service during an invitation-only concert in New York City on Dec. 15.
Nearly 600 new FiOS TV customers from the New York area (and a Wire correspondent) were given free tickets to the hush-hush concert at Manhattan's Hiro Ballroom and Lounge as part of a promotional stunt developed by Verizon and Black Entertainment Television.
Coles, who third album (A Different Me) dropped earlier that day, is BET's biggest star: reality show Keyshia Coles: The Way It Is averaged 1.7 million viewers in its third season.
Verizon said it may hold other events in the future to thank New Yorkers for switching to FiOS TV, but nothing is currently scheduled.
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