Google coming out against the Comcast-NBC Universal deal is a sexy story. It's just not true.

NetCoalition, a Washington-based public interest group, was getting headlines Monday for its announcement that it is joining the Coalition for Competition in Media in opposing Comcast Corp.'s deal to take a controlling stake in General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal.

"We are concerned this merger will create a vertically and horizontally integrated media behemoth that will smother competition, diminish choice and reduce broadband network investment, all while raising prices for consumers," said Markham Erickson, executive director and general counsel of NetCoalition.

That yet another organization has come out against the merger of the nation's largest cable and broadband provider with a programming giant is hardly big news. But in its release, NetCoalition notes that it serves as the "public policy voice for the nation's leading Internet companies," including Amazon.com, Bloomberg LP, EBay, Google, Wikipedia and Yahoo!.

The implication from that sentence is clear. Google, the giant of the Internet, is against the deal. Indeed, the stories on the NetCoalition announcement from The Hill, an influential Washington news source, and AdWeek both play up Google's involvement in the coalition.

The only problem is Google has not come out against the deal. A spokeswoman for the search giant and YouTube parent said it does not have a position on the merger. Google has not filed comments with the FCC either in support or in opposition to the deal. Yahoo has also not officially weighed in at the FCC, and a person familiar with the situation said the company was surprised to find itself mentioned in the NetCoalition release. A Yahoo spokesperson did not respond to an e-mail seeking comment.

Amazon and EBay have also steered clear of the regulatory fight over the merger. However, Bloomberg, the business-media giant, does have issues, as it fears NBC's business channel, CNBC, will have an unfair advantage once it is owned by Comcast.

Google may in fact have issues with the deal, but if it does, it is dealing with them privately, as is Yahoo. A spokeswoman for NetCoalition referred inquiries about the release to Erickson, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Comcast dismissed the release saying, "It's been almost a full year since the transaction was announced, and today one coalition funded by a small set of merger opponents is joining another lobbying coalition funded and run by those same merger opponents."

-- Joe Flint

Bring in the chair umpire.

Cable giant Comcast Corp. and the independent Tennis Channel said Tuesday that they were unable to resolve through mediation their dispute over channel position and would begin preparing for an administrative trial.

The privately held Santa Monica-based Tennis Channel has been angling for a berth that would reach a greater number of Comcast subscribers. Comcast currently offers the Tennis Channel as part of a package of sports networks for which it charges customers more. As a result, the Tennis Channel is not as widely distributed as a channel in a basic service package. Because a cable network receives payment based on the number of homes that receive it, shifting out of the higher-priced sports tier would mean more revenue.

The Tennis Channel has asked the Federal Communications Commission to intervene, arguing that Comcast has put it at an unfair disadvantage because its own sports networks, including the Golf Channel and Versus, are on the basic tier and available to all of its customers.

The review comes at a sensitive time for Comcast, which is depending upon the FCC to approve its proposed merger with NBC Universal. Critics contend that a Comcast-controlled NBC Universal would give too much leverage to the Philadelphia-based company, which it could use to favor its own cable networks at the expense of competitors, particularly small independent channels.

For its part, Comcast said Tennis Channel agreed to be placed on the sports tier when Comcast helped launch the start-up five years ago. Comcast also noted that many large cable operators offer the Tennis Channel in a more-exclusive tier.

“Although it is disappointing that a resolution could not be reached, we now look forward to refuting Tennis Channel’s flawed complaint in a full evidentiary hearing before an administrative law judge at the FCC," Sena Fitzmaurice, Comcast vice president for government communications, said in a statement. "Far from discriminating against Tennis Channel, we are carrying it in a manner similar to many other distributors and fully honoring the terms of the parties’ agreement."

Tennis Channel Chief Executive Ken Solomon was unavailable for comment.

-- Meg James

Photo: Tennis Channel Chief Executive Ken Solomon in the control room during the 2009 Wimbledon championships. Credit: Fred Mullane

Comcast unveiled its new executive lineup for NBC Universal on Thursday morning, ending months of anticipation and executive jockeying. Although Comcast has its new team in position, it must now wait until federal regulators approve the cable company's deal to take over NBC Universal, and that is not expected until late this year or early next year.

Comcast Chief Operating Officer Steve Burke, who will run NBC Universal after the deal closes, has created a layered structure with six executives holding the title of chairman. 

"For nearly a year, we have worked hard to identify people from NBC Universal, Comcast and outside the two companies to form our new leadership team when the deal closes.  Our goal has been to find people who have the skill sets we need to succeed and who reflect the values that will be the hallmark of NBC Universal, including teamwork, integrity, creativity and a commitment to treating people the right way," Steve Burke said in a statement. 

"We have also been very focused on putting in place the best possible organizational structure.  To that end, we have created some new positions, changed the scope of others and shifted some reporting assignments.  We think we’ve developed a structure that organizes the company in the smartest way possible," he said.

The proposed structure, with more than 10 people reporting to him, ensures that Burke will be a hands-on manager, involved in decisions large and small. Burke will serve as chief executive officer, replacing Jeff Zucker, who announced in September that he would step down when Comcast took over.

As expected, former Showtime President Robert Greenblatt will become chairman of NBC Entertainment, responsible for all aspects of prime-time and late-night programming, business affairs, West Coast research, marketing, public relations, scheduling and NBC Universal's television production studio. Marc Graboff and Angela Bromstad will report to Greenblatt.

Ted Harbert, who currently runs Comcast's entertainment channels, including E!, will become chairman of NBC Broadcasting.  He will take charge of advertising sales, NBC affiliate relations, companywide research, domestic television syndication and the NBC TV station group.  Alan Wurtzel, Barry Wallach, Vivi Zigler and John Wallace will report to Harbert.

Bonnie Hammer assumes control of the soon-to-be-merged company's most profitable enterprises. She becomes chairman of the NBC Universal Cable Entertainment and Cable Studios. Hammer will continue to oversee the USA and Syfy channels, and she will take on responsibility for E! Entertainment, G4, Chiller, Sleuth, Universal HD and Universal Cable Productions.   

Lauren Zalaznick's portfolio also expanded enormously. She becomes chairwoman of NBC Universal Entertainment and Digital Networks. Bravo, Oxygen and the website iVillage will continue to report to Zalaznick, and she will oversee strategic marketing initiatives, including Green is Universal.  Zalaznick picks such digital properties as Daily Candy, Fandango, Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo and the cable networks Style, mun2 and PBS Sprout.

Dick Ebersol becomes chairman of the NBC Sports Group, responsible for NBC Sports, the Golf Channel, Versus and the Comcast Regional Sports Networks. 

Ron Meyer retains his turf as president and chief operating officer of Universal Studios. Adam Fogelson will continue as chairman of Universal Pictures, and Tom Williams will be in charge of Universal's parks and resorts.

Steve Capus continues as president of NBC News and MSNBC.  Mark Hoffman continues as president of CNBC.

Jeff Shell joins NBC Universal from Comcast to become chairman of NBC Universal International. He will be based in London.

Pat Fili-Krushel will join NBC Universal from Time Warner Inc. with a broad portfolio, including business strategy, human resources and legal.

Lynn Calpeter continues as NBC Universal's chief financial officer.  Rick Cotton continues as NBC Universal general counsel and will report to both Burke and Fili-Krushel.  Salil Mehta continues as president of business operations and strategy and will report to Fili-Krushel.  Former KNBC Channel 4 General Manager Paula Madison will continue to serve as executive vice president of diversity. John Eck continues in his role as president of NBC Media Works.

Longtime Comcast communications advisor Adam Miller will join NBC Universal as executive vice president for corporate affairs. The communications department will report to Miller, who currently works at Abernathy MacGregor Group.  Page Thompson will join NBC Universal from Comcast as executive vice president of strategic integration and be charged with identifying synergy opportunities among Comcast, NBC, Universal Studios, theme parks and cable channels.

Matt Bond will join NBC Universal from Comcast as executive vice president for content distribution. Two influential NBC Universal executives, Bridget Baker and J.B. Perrette, will report to Bond.

Advertising sales are split between Comcast executive Dave Cassaro, who becomes president of cable advertising sales, and Marianne Gambelli, who will become president of NBC Network Advertising. The former chief of ad sales and longtime General Electric executive, Mike Pilot, will leave the company.  

Jeff Gaspin, who has been in charge of NBC Universal's television channels since July 2009, will stay on during the transition period.  He and Burke discussed scenarios for Gaspin to remain at the company, but the two men could not agree on a suitable role.  Burke said communications chief Allison Gollust also will step down when Comcast takes over.  

"While this announcement provides some clarity to some roles and responsibilities," Burke said, "it is only the first in what will be a series of milestones as we move into 2011."

Now, the intrigue shifts from the question of which executives will survive the cut to speculation about when Comcast will get the keys to the prominent media company.

The U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission continues to weigh the merger between Comcast and NBC Universal, currently owned by General Electric Co.  Most observers expect the government to attach several conditions before giving its blessing to the high-profile marriage. Comcast hopes the deal will close by year's end, but Washington insiders speculate that regulatory approval might come during the first quarter of 2011.

-- Meg James

Photo: Comcast's Steve Burke. Credit: Comcast.

The quality of television news could deteriorate further under a Comcast-controlled NBC Universal, the  Writers Guild of America East warned Wednesday in letters to key Washington officials overseeing the government's review of the proposed merger.

"True investigative reporting has almost vanished completely from commercial on-air news or has often been reduced to sensationalized, trivial coverage of no lasting significance," Michael Winship, president of the guild, and Lowell Peterson, executive director, wrote.  "Instead of a town square where ideas flow freely, the news business becomes more like a shopping mall dominated by a small number of megastores. This thwarts the public's ability to engage in robust, well-informed discussion of the critical issues of our times."

The guild, which represents thousands of writers  in film, television, radio and digital media, sent the letters to Federal Communications Chairman Julius Genachowski; Christine Varney, the assistant attorney general in the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division; and U.S. Rep. John Conyers (D-Michigan), chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

The consolidation of Comcast's entertainment assets with NBC Universal "would result in a single company producing content and acting as sole distributor of that content -- both on cable and online -- for tens of millions of Americans," Winship and Peterson wrote.

As a remedy, they recommended that Comcast be required to "contribute significant resources to the production of truly independent content."  Funding, they said, should be allocated through the Corp. for Public Broadcasting or "another entity to be established for this purpose." They suggested that Comcast set aside $10 million a year over a 10-year period -- or $100 million -- for funding. 

"It is imperative that this further consolidation of control be counterbalanced by a commitment to broaden the programming available to the public," Winship and Peterson wrote.

Comcast quickly responded, saying it was up to Congress and the "public broadcasting community" to devise funding strategies.

"Comcast has already pledged to make local news and other local programming available to consumers at more times and on more platforms than ever before and to facilitate and encourage the creation of new local programming and to add even more independent networks to our video systems," Sena Fitzmaurice, vice president of government communications for Comcast, said in a statement. "We’ve committed that the NBC owned and operated broadcast stations will produce an additional 1,000 hours per year of local news and information programming for distribution on traditional and new media."

Though the guild's suggestion was "a thoughtful proposal," Fitzmaurice's statement went on, "it ignores the fact that, taken as a whole, the range of public interest commitments already made by the combined companies promises to deliver more diverse programming and more independently produced programming than any entity has ever committed to before."

-- Meg James

The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday afternoon granted the Tennis Channel's request to review its case that cable giant Comcast Corp. discriminated against the independent sports network.

Comcast makes its own sports channels, including the Golf Channel and Versus, available to all of its customers. But the Santa Monica-based and privately-owned Tennis Channel maintains that Comcast unfairly put it at a disadvantage by offering it as part of a more costly package of sports channels, limiting distribution, which costs consumer more and has fewer subscribers.

In its 17-page order, the FCC said that "there are substantial and material questions of fact as to whether Comcast has engaged in conduct that violates the program carriage provisions ... and the Commission’s rules. We therefore initiate this hearing proceeding."

The review comes at an awkward time for Comcast, which is depending upon the FCC to approve its proposed merger with NBC Universal. Critics contend that a Comcast-controlled NBC Universal would give too much power to the Philadelphia-based company, which it could use to favor its own cable networks at the expense of competitors.

The Tennis Channel applauded the ruling.

"We look forward to presenting our full case, and we are confident that when the matter is finally resolved, Comcast will have been found definitively to have illegally discriminated against Tennis Channel and in favor of its owned sports services," the channel said in a statement. 

For its part, Comcast said Tennis Channel agreed to be placed on the sports tier when Comcast helped launch the channel five years ago. It also said that many large cable operators, not just Comcast, offer the Tennis Channel in a more-exclusive tier.

“We look forward to refuting this groundless complaint in a full evidentiary hearing before an Administrative Law Judge at the FCC," Sena Fitzmaurice, a spokeswoman for Comcast, said in a statement. "Comcast currently makes the Tennis Channel available to nearly every home we serve. Far from discriminating against Tennis Channel, we are fully honoring the terms of our agreement with Tennis Channel and plan to continue carrying the network for our customers and tennis fans.”

 — Meg James

After the coffee. Before wondering why Fashion Week snubbed me.

Reality bites. The Wall Street Journal uses the overhaul of Fox's "American Idol" to check in on the state of the reality TV biz. Heading into the fall season, the WSJ notes that the five broadcast networks have scheduled 14 hours of reality shows, the lowest number since 2005. Of course, in fairness, a lot of reality shows usually come on in mid-season to replace new comedies and dramas that didn't work. Also, although broadcast may be backing away from reality shows, the story doesn't note how huge they've become on cable. TLC, MTV, Bravo and dozens of other channels are basically reality-show factories these days. As for "American Idol," we're all still waiting for Fox and the producers to announce Steven Tyler, the Aerosmith singer, and performer Jennifer Lopez as the new judges. Actually, does anyone care anymore?

Big paycheck for "Big Bang Theory." Deadline Hollywood has the details on the new contracts for the stars of the CBS hit "The Big Bang Theory." Most interesting was how Warner Bros. TV, which makes the show, managed to get breakout star Jim Parsons to take the same deal as his co-stars. Initially, the Emmy winner had been holding out for a bigger deal, but Warner Bros. played hardball. The raises come in the wake of Warner Bros. selling repeats of the program to TBS. In other words, this is the reward for the last few years as much as it is a raise going forward.

They're back! The Weinstein Co., apparently trying to move on from founders Bob and Harvey Weinstein's unsuccessful effort to buy back Miramax from Walt Disney Co., has been making a splash at the Toronto International Film Festival. According to Variety, the Weinstein Co. picked up North American rights for a British coming-of-age comedy called "Submarine," its second purchase after springing for "Dirty Girl." Lionsgate has also been busy as it and specialty subside Roadside bought U.S. rights to Robert Redford's "The Conspirator," which is from new Chicago Cubs owner Joe Ricketts

Brother, can you spare a dime? Veteran movie banker Clark Hallren, who left JPMorgan last year to create Clear Scope Partners, has a grim financing forecast for the movie industry. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Hallren, who worked on the initial IPO for DreamWorks Animation, said "it's a good time not to be a banker." Why? Well, Hallren notes that foreign banks are not doing as many deals and the risks in the movie business have skyrocketed.

You say show, I say advertisement. An advocacy group is going after Nickelodeon, charging that one of its new shows is nothing more than an advertisement dressed up as a kids cartoon. The show, "Zevo-3," premieres on Nicktoons next month (actually the day after Hub, a new rival kids channel from Discovery and Hasbro, launches) and is based on characters that were created for a marketing campaign by the shoe company Skechers. The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood has sent a complaint to the Federal Communications Commission asking the agency to stop Nickelodeon from proceeding with the show. The FCC does have rules regarding advertising and kids programming, but Nickelodeon parent Viacom counters that although the characters of the show may have been inspired by the ads, it is not violating any government regulations. More on the skirmish from the New York Times.

Missing the point. The Hollywood Reporter has a story Thursday declaring that "fat is making a comeback in Hollywood" and suggesting that we can all "forget about" the super-skinny actresses that fill just about every show on broadcast and cable. What the story doesn't note is that most of these shows are reality shows about losing weight and that their overall message is that there is something wrong with the people on the show. Although obesity is a real issue, many of these shows are just exploiting people in the hopes of ratings. In other words, Hollywood is not suddenly embracing people who you can actually still see when they turn sideways.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: Sirius XM Chief Executive Mel Karmazin said he is confident that Howard Stern will sign a new deal with the satellite radio broadcaster. MGM got its seventh (that's right, seventh) forbearance on its debt payments. Lucas Cruikshank is building an empire with his Fred Figglehorn character.

-- Joe Flint

Follow me on Twitter because I said so: Twitter.com/JBFlint

After the coffee. Before figuring out how much my Time Warner Cable bill will go up!

Disney and Time Warner Cable cut new deal. For all the months of talk about how intense the next contract talks between Disney and Time Warner Cable would be, it appears that a deal came off without a hitch. On Thursday afternoon, only a few hours after the old contract expired, a deal was reached to keep Disney's ABC broadcast stations and cable channels ESPN, ABC Family and Disney Channel on Time Warner Cable systems. Time Warner Cable will also carry Disney Junior, its new kids channel, and get access to Disney products for video on demand. One of Disney big asks, to have Time Warner Cable pay a big fee for its broadband service ESPN3, did not come to fruition. Both sides sang each others praises, but we'll see how customers feel when they get new bills in a couple of months. Details from the Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press and Variety.

Amazon aspirations. The Wall Street Journal takes a look at what it has dubbed the new digital battlefield as Apple and Amazon fight for supremacy in renting and selling digital downloads of TV shows. Of course, the big question is whether their fight will end up hurting Hollywood a lot more than helping.

Box office battle. Looks like three R-rated movies will be fighting for the top spot at the box office this holiday weekend. There's George Clooney's "The American" from Focus Features, the Warner Bros. romantic comedy "Going the Distance" (on a side note, am I the only one who thinks Justin Long looks too young for Drew Barrymore?) and the Robert Rodriguez-directed "Machete" from 20th Century Fox. For me, I'm most likely to see "The American," as I have no desire to go the distance or be hacked up. But you don't read this for what I think, so here are the previews from Variety and the Los Angeles Times. 

When you need clicks, do a porn story. The Hollywood Reporter, which some feel has gone a little tabloid under its new owners, will certainly do little to dissuade those who feel that way with its big story Friday on Vivid Video, the adult entertainment giant, and how it is trying to come up with a new business model. Usually adult entertainment firms are the first to adjust to and profit from technological shifts, but the business has been hammered by piracy on the Internet. If you are going to the site for pictures, save your time; they didn't post anything racy!

I'm shocked, shocked to find there is gambling going on here. The Wrap uncovers the stunning news that companies and politicians Comcast Corp. has supported over the years are actually writing the Federal Communications Commission letters urging the regulatory agency to approve the cable company's deal to acquire control of NBC Universal. Yes, when companies sponsor events or make donations, often those that are the beneficiaries will return the favor down the road. OK, in all honesty, although Washington insiders know this is how the game is played, it has been interesting to watch how Comcast has gotten all these Chambers of Commerce and small-town folks to write in support of its deal.

Now where was I? USA Today offers up a cheat sheet for all the shows returning this fall. So if you can't remember what happened in the last episode of "The Good Wife" or "Modern Family," consider this your gift. You can thank us later.

Game, set, match. Because it's Friday, we offer for your lowbrow entertainment an article from the New York Post about a fight breaking out in the stands at the U.S. Open. Yes, for a few minutes the country's premiere tennis event turned into a soccer game.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: Telluride unveils the lineup for its annual film festival. You may not know Fred Fox Jr., but you know the famous episode of "Happy Days" he wrote, as it had something to do with the Fonz and a shark.

-- Joe Flint

Treat yourself to the best tweets. Twitter.com/JBFlint

The Morning Fix will be off on Labor Day. Have a great weekend and see you Tuesday.

After the coffee. Before deciding if "Piranha" will have any bite.

"The Expendables" not expendable yet. Looks like the over-the-hill gang will ride again this weekend at the box office. Although there are five new movies opening, "The Expendables" is again expected to finish in first place. According to Los Angeles Times box office guru Ben Fritz, "Nanny McPhee Returns" has a tiny chance to upset "The Expendables," while the rest of the newcomers -- "Lottery Ticket," "Vampires Suck" "The Switch" and "Piranha 3D" will all open in the $7-million to $13-million range.

Getting the last word in. The Federal Communications Commission was busy collecting the final comments from those who want to have a say about cable company Comcast Corp.'s proposed takeover of NBC Universal. According to Multichannel News, satellite broadcaster DirecTV told the regulatory agency that the deal would "would lead to higher prices for content, pose no public benefit and allow the distribution and programming giant to migrate programming to the Internet."  Meanwhile, Comcast found itself in a fight with Allbritton Communications, the parent company of the influential website Politico, which also wants to have a voice at the FCC about the deal. More on that inside-the-Beltway spat from the Los Angeles Times. For more reaction to the deal, see Variety's roundup.

Man your battle stations. As the deadline for a new deal between Walt Disney Co. and Time Warner Cable nears, ESPN executives George Bodenheimer and Sean Bratches were told to trim their vacations and prepare for some late-night negotiations, according to the New York Post. Disney, parent of ABC, ESPN, Disney Channel and ABC Family, and Time Warner Cable have until Sept. 2 to agree on a new distribution deal. After that, the signals of Disney networks could be dropped from Time Warner Cable systems around the country, including New York and Los Angeles. 

How about Jason Schwartzman as Larry Page? While Hollywood continues to struggle to figure out what its relationship should be with search engine giant Google, Deadline Hollywood reports that Groundswell Productions has acquired the rights to Ken Auletta's book "Googled: The End of the World as We Know It." The book follows Google from its creation by founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page to its rise to the top of the digital world. 

Tell us how you really feel. Steve Levitan, a co-creator of ABC's sitcom "Modern Family" took to Twitter this week to air gripes about Hulu, the video website co-owned by ABC parent Walt Disney Co. along with NBC Universal and News Corp. Using the news that Hulu was considering an initial public offering to raise money, Levitan griped that creators are being shut out of any potential revenue from Hulu while at the same time they risk seeing their television audiences decline as shows are made available on other platforms. Levitan, whose concerns are shared by many writers and producers, tweeted the question on the minds of many people when he wrote: "What is Hulu without content? An empty jukebox.” More on Levitan's hate-hate relationship with Hulu from Forbes. 

Reality bites. Endemol, the giant reality-show factory whose production credits include "Big Brother" and "Deal or No Deal" may be facing a harsh reality of its own. According to the Daily Beast's Peter Lauria, Endemol, whose owners include Goldman Sachs, has a $3-billion debt load and is trying to restructure its finances. The company has been on a little buying spree as of late, which Lauria says has put a dent in its liquidity. It also hasn't had any new big hits in a while.

I'm sorry Denis Leary, really! The Wall Street Journal on Friday looks the age-old practice by television writers and producers to sometimes take not-so-subtle revenge on folks who have annoyed them or bad-mouthed their show. Most recently, USA's "Psych" named a murderer after "Entertainment Weekly" critic Ken Tucker. The old NBC show "Just Shoot Me" once had a stalker character named Preston Beckman, which just happened to be the name of the man in charge of scheduling at the network at the time. Heck, yours truly has a judge named after him on "Law & Order." In my case, I will note that it was not a payback for some sin, although I do worry a little that if I ever really irritate that franchise's creator, Dick Wolf, then Judge Joe Flint is going to be arrested on some pretty tawdry charges. I've heard that "Rescue Me" co-creator Denis Leary has taken issue with some of my critiques (I do love the show, Denis, really) so if I end up being roasted in a fire in Harlem, now you know why.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: Kenneth Turan on "The Tillman Story."

-- Joe Flint

You really shouldn't need a reason to follow me on Twitter: Twitter.com/JBFlint

After the coffee. Before buying my advance tickets for "Inception."

Court swears off indecency regulations. A U.S. appeals court has tossed the Federal Communications Commission's indecency regulations, and the decision calls into question the FCC's clout to regulate broadcast TV and radio for content overall. The case grew out of the FCC's threats to fine Fox television stations for live telecasts in which there was inadvertent swearing. In the Fox case, Nicole Richie and Cher had sworn during live TV events, and a few years later, U2 singer Bono swore during an NBC telecast of the Golden Globes. The FCC can rewrite its rules or appeal the decision all the way to the Supreme Court. In the meantime, don't expect broadcasters to suddenly take their hands off the mute button or do away with seven-second delays just yet. More on the decision from the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Broadcasting & Cable.

Morgan to take King's throne. Piers Morgan, the British host of NBC's "America's Got Talent" is closing in on a deal to succeed Larry King at CNN. Although he's seen as a talent show host here, Morgan has a strong track record interviewing newsmakers in his native Britain. For several weeks, CNN denied it was talking with Morgan or even interested in him when reports first surfaced that he was the pick to succeed King. It was not long after those reports that King announced his retirement. More on the Morgan deal (he'll keep doing "America's Got Talent") from the New York Times and Los Angeles Times.

"Nailed" director bails. David O. Russell has left "Nailed," the political comedy that has had something approaching nine lives. The Hollywood Reporter has the back story on this one, which frankly sounds like one big soap opera that's impossible to follow.

Paramount committed to another mission. Despite disappointing box office for "Knight and Day," Paramount reiterated its desire to make another "Mission Impossible" movie with Tom Cruise. The Hollywood Reporter looks at what is at stake for the studio and Cruise with the next installment and seems to suggest that perhaps the franchise will go on without the star. Or maybe I'm doing too much reading between the lines.

Steinbrenner's legacy. Variety looks at how Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who died Tuesday, changed the game. Besides becoming one of the first larger-than-life owners, featured in beer commercials and hosting "Saturday Night Live," his wide-open wallet played a big part in turning athletes into brands. The owner rivals loved to hate, the image of Steinbrenner was no doubt softened somewhat by the parody of him on NBC's "Seinfeld." Variety also credits Steinbrenner with being the first owner to create his own cable network to carry the team's games. Although the YES network is a big success, the Red Sox actually were ahead of the Yankees in owning their own cable network.

Does Bruckheimer need some magic? Tracking for producer Jerry Bruckeimer's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" is not encouraging and could be his third miss. Of course, miss for him means it's not a mega-blockbuster. The The Wrap does some analysis on Bruckheimer's current track record.

And the Emmy Awards go to ... Deadline Hollywood looks at the upcoming talks between the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and the broadcast networks over a new deal for the Emmy Awards. Could last week's nominations, which seemed to feature more broadcast shows in high-profile categories, encourage the networks to pony up for a new contract? There have been grumblings from the networks about the current deal and whether the awards wouldn't be better served by having a permanent home. Of course, that creates its own set of problems. The current deal is up at the end of August.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: John Horn looks at a battle between Chevron Corp. and director Joe Berlinger over his documentary "Crude," about the oil company's legal battles in Ecuador. Lions Gate has made a merger presentation to MGM. Starz President Chris Albrecht learned a valuable lesson about paying attention when answering e-mails.

-- Joe Flint

Follow me on Twitter and I'll stop writing these little reminders. Twitter.com/JBFlint

See ya, Showtime. Bob Greenblatt, the head of pay cable channel Showtime, is making his exit. Greenblatt, a veteran of Fox and his own production company, oversaw Showtime's emergence as a programming force with original series such as "Nurse Jackie," "Dexter" and "Californication." In line to take the Showtime gig is another respected executive: David Nevins who stepped down as head of Imagine TV ("24," "Friday Night Lights," Arrested Development," "Parenthood") Thursday. As for Greenblatt, his name has been bandied about for a big job at NBC after its merger deal with Comcast closes, but we'll just have to see about that. Deadline Hollywood broke the news about Nevins leaving Imagine. Variety broke the news about Greenblatt leaving and Nevins likely succeeding him. And I link to the Los Angeles Times as well because, well, I'm a homer. 

A new Night. Director M. Night Shyamalan, who hit his first couple of movies out of the park ("The Sixth Sense," "Unbreakable") before hitting a slump ("The Happening") is back with "The Last Airbender." But this time he's got some backup from some unusual sources -- Nickelodeon and McDonald's. The movie is based on a Nickelodeon cartoon and is a step away from his supernatural stuff. "For the last 10 years, I've been working in a cottage industry of the supernatural," said Shyamalan. "And I've always had my eye on doing a franchise," he told Claudia Eller of the Los Angeles Times. 

Put a hold on box-office futures trading. The House-Senate conference committee hammering out the bill on financial reform that was approved Thursday night included a ban on the creation of a box-office futures trading market. This likely puts a fork in the plans of the two companies behind the plans for an exchange, although one says the fight will go on. Details from the Hollywood Reporter and the Wrap.

Hit the pause button. Apparently NBC Universal and Comcast are having a hard time getting their paperwork together. The Federal Communications Commission is complaining that neither answered all the questions the agency sent the two companies as part of its review of the merger deal. Comcast said its issues were "technical." No word what NBC Universal's issues were. The FCC said it would resume its review as soon as it gets more info. Broadcasting & Cable has the story.

Watching Hulu on a PlayStation. Yes, it could become a reality! Bloomberg reports that Sony Corp. is putting the finishing touches on a deal in which its users could access Hulu via the PlayStation network. Obviously, getting into the video game consoles could mean a bigger audience for Hulu and create yet another option for people wanting content but don't want cable. But I'm a little jaded about all the Hulu coverage when its own future has lots of questions. (What will Comcast do with NBC's stake after their deal closes and will the pay model work?) The Wall Street Journal updates Hulu's pay plans. 

A different Current. The Hollywood Reporter takes a probing look at Current TV, the news and public affairs cable network started by Al Gore that originally was going to subsist primarily on user contributions. Last year, after efforts to either sell (no takers, not even Google, says THR) or go public stalled out, former MTV executive Mark Rosenthal was brought in as chief executive, and he's now reaching out for help from his old pals, including Brian Graden, the former MTV programmer who is consulting Current. On the business side, Current's next big challenge is renewing its distribution deal with Time Warner Cable, the nation's second-largest cable operator. Fortunately for Current, Comcast, the country's biggest cable operator, has a stake in it.

More of the same. The Daily Beast's Rachel Sklar says the country may be getting more diverse but cable news isn't.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: Dave Smith may know more about Disney than anyone named Disney. The Weinstein Co. may have taken care of some debt headaches, but is the short-term fix enough for the art house to turn around? Looks like another big weekend for "Toy Story 3."

-- Joe Flint

Now with 70% more sarcasm. Follow me on Twitter: Twitter.com/JBFlint

In an unusual move, Congress' probe of cable giant Comcast Corp.'s merger with NBC Universal is going on the road.

On Monday, the House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing about the proposed $30-billion deal at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. The hearing, which will be open to the public, was pushed by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), a Judiciary Committee member who has also been pressuring the Federal Communications Commission to hold hearings on the deal outside of the Washington area. Although field hearings are not unheard of, they are seldom used in the case of mergers.

Waters has emerged as one of the sharpest critics of the deal and has expressed concern about how the combination of Comcast with NBC will affect minorities. She sent a letter to the FCC with 50 questions for Comcast and NBC about their hiring and programming practices. This is the second crack the Judiciary Committee will get at NBC and Comcast executives. Last February, the committee held a hearing that dragged on almost seven hours and included NBC Universal Chief Executive Jeff Zucker being grilled by Waters over what she feels is NBC's lack of diversity in its programs.

Although Waters is worried about the merger, another prominent African American politician and activist, the Rev. Al Sharpton sent FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski a letter last week supporting the merger and praising Comcast and NBC .

"The Comcast-NBCU joint venture has the potential to mark a new era in media and communications in which all consumers, from every demographic background, can more easily and economically reap the benefits of easy access to content across multiple platforms," Sharpton wrote.

-- Joe Flint

Photo: Al Sharpton. Credit: Stephen Chernin / Associated Press

Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), chairman of the powerful Senate antitrust, competition policy and consumer rights subcommittee, told the Justice Department and Federal Communications Commission that he wants strong conditions on the proposed merger between cable giant Comcast Corp. and entertainment behemoth NBC Universal.

Among the 11 conditions Kohl is asking for is that Comcast divest NBC's interest in the online video site Hulu, which also counts among its owners Walt Disney Co. and News Corp. Kohl has expressed concern that Comcast will try to keep content it owns off of Internet sites that it does not control and also require that to see content online, consumers must also subscribe to Comcast's cable service.

Kohl also wants a requirement that would prohibit NBC from moving any of its broadcast shows to a cable network that Comcast has a stake in for 10 years. In other words, if NBC found a new home for "Law & Order," but it was on a network that Comcast had ownership in, then that would be a no-no. While such a move is designed in principle to protect NBC's broadcast network, some shows move to cable from broadcast as opposed to being canceled outright.

Looking to protect competing cable and satellite services, Kohl also wants conditions that would insure that Comcast and NBC not be able to leverage its "must-have programming to raise its rivals' costs."

Besides having Comcast divest from Hulu, which is already considering going to a pay model, Kohl wants assurances that Comcast will not try to "prevent or coerce programmers from keeping their content off Internet websites or Internet distributors as a condition of carriage on Comcast."

The review of the Comcast-NBC deal is expected to take several more months. Last week, the FCC sent both companies a list of detailed questions probing the business practices and strategies of the two companies.

-- Joe Flint

Related posts: FCC digging deep in review of Comcast-NBC deal.

Photo: U.S Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.). Credit: U.S. Congress.