Will Baker Backlash Hit AT&T?

 
Is there anyone out there – at least on the left, near left or even centrist body politic – who isn't expressing outrage over FCC Commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker's fast move from voting on the big merger to benefiting from it via a new job with Comcast/NBCU?  "Wouldn't pass a consumers' sniff test," said Comcast home paper, The Inquirer, in an editorial; "Appearances DO matter," said TVWeek; "Cashing in," said the Free Press; adding to "Americans' cynicism about their government," said the NYT.

"I haven't done anything wrong," said Baker.  In fact ... legal fact ... she hasn't.  And even though we generally agree with the "sniff test" comment, we have heard some pretty compelling arguments for why a transfer of expertise from government to private sector and back again can be a good thing.  

But what matters here is the "sniff test" and the preponderance of big to super big mergers floating through D.C. and the seemingly impenetrable disconnect between rulers and ruled.  (See Party, Tea or Wutbürger, Germany.)  All this takes us to AT&T/T-Mobile.  They're in Silicon Valley this week, trying to convince internet folks that the two-company combo will be good for the web.  Don't know how tough that will be, but their job just got tougher back in D.C.  Because no matter how you look at it, Baker's quick slide from "yea" vote to pay check does not make big companies, and especially big company mergers, or government oversight thereof, look particularly wholesome.•  EH

People: Clayton at DISH – NAMIC Next Gen Leaders – Colbert's PAC

As announced earlier in a breaking news story, Joseph Clayton, well known for his role in RCA's launch of DIRECTV to say nothing of his time at the helm of Sirius Satellite Radio, will be the new president and CEO of DISH Network effective June 20.  Clayton also joins the DISH board of directors.  DISH founder (and effective owner) Charlie Ergen remains as chairman. --- TV One CEO Johnathan Rodgers plans to retire in July.  --- Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert has applied with the FCC for a "media exemption" to start a political action committee which he would discuss on his show. --- To the sorrow of comedians everywhere, Donald Trump says he's not running for president. --- Carlos Gutierrez is new VP of business affairs and legal at 3net, the 3D network from Sony, Discovery and IMAX. ---  GolTV has boosted its sales force with a new account executive, Tyler Verdery.  ---- NAMIC's 2011 Next Generation Leader Awards will go to Vincent C. Cordero, EVP and GM, FOX Deportes; Devin C. Johnson, GM, Digital Works@NBCU, NBCUniversal; Howard Lee, SVP, Production and Development, TLC, Discovery Communications; and Stephen Thomas, area VP, City of Chicago, Comcast Cable.  The awards breakfast will take place during the Cable Show on Thurs., June 16, 2011, from 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. (CT) at McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago.•

Etc: Netflix Originals? – Cable One Goes Usage Based – Sirius XM's Hold on Rates

Online:  Forget those soothing words from Reed Hastings.   (Who us?  Compete?)  Now comes the New York Post citing an unnamed Hollywood talent agent who says that Netflix is betting big on original content hiring "the best show runners, the best directors and the best producers."  Netflix is upping its "re-run TV" creds too as, in Miramax's first dip into the digital subscription pool, the movie maker has inked a multi-year deal with Netflix.  Movies will start airing in June.

Deals & Partnerships:  Business advisory firm FTI Consulting and Rentrak have joined in an effort to combine Rentrak's database of consumer viewing habits and FTI Consulting's extensive industry knowledge to publish unique reports on the economic trends impacting the media, entertainment and advertising industries. --- Ad research startup Simulmedia has scored another $9.25M in financing from investors including Time Warner.  Simulmedia uses anonymous set-top-box data, including those from TiVo, to analyze the effectiveness of ad campaigns.  

Strategies:  Add Cable One to the usage based pricing camp as the No. 10 cable op has a new plan offering allotments of 100GB for triple-play customers, 50GBs for broadband-only customers and 50¢/GB for overages, all at speeds of up to 50 MBPS.  The company will keep its unlimited plan which provides 50 Mbps for $50/month. --- Comcast is boosting its offerings for 20 to 500 employee businesses with a new Metro Ethernet service. 

SkyREPORT:  As part of an antitrust settlement, Sirius XM says it will keep its rates in place through the end of the year.  Rate caps imposed by the FCC end July 28, 2011 ... but could be renewed.  Say Stifel Nicolaus' Rebecca Arbogast and David Kaut, the move "provides some added assurance that could support an agency decision to let the caps expire." --- Eutelsat has partnered with the Russian Satellite Communications Co. to provide broadband and data services in Russia via its new KA-SAT High Throughput Satellite.

Programming:  TNT netted the biggest basketball audience in cable history as Sunday night's Chicago v. Miami game drew 11.1M viewers on average. --- Time Warner Cable says its digital TV subs in New York City now have access to more than 175 HD channels, including its On Demand services.  

Analyze This Redux (in case you missed it from The Evening BRIDGE): At MFM this morning, Citi’s Jason Bazinet outlined some possible media ecosystem “discontinuities” and made some predictions: 1) a la carte is ‘unlikely’; 2) OTT is ‘possible’ for singles and some low-consumption TVHH, but not widespread and at most about 25% with hefty internet connections ... some 20% of watching is "pull-based" though; 3) data caps will mitigate OTT; but 4) Apple TV could do to video what iTunes did to music.  Bazinet was reassuring on the ad side ... steady up, he said.  Good news as the upfronts launch today.  And, as ad guru Jack Myers said this morning, even as digital explodes network TV upfront “holds its own.”

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