Waters Praises Comcast for Adding Minority Nets

NBCU joint venture critic says company has taken steps to honor its commitment to media diversity

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 2/22/2012 4:50:14 PM

Comcast has gotten a shout-out from one of the biggest Hill critics of its NBCU joint venture.
 
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) Wednesday praised the cable operator's addition of four new minority-owned cable nets, saying the company "has taken steps to honor its commitment to media diversity in programming and ownership," she said in a statement.
 
Adding the nets were among Comcast's voluntary conditions on the deal, conditions for which Waters had pushed hard.
 
Waters also said that she hoped Comcast would provide the same kind of channel placement and marketing and promotional muscle -- and channel placement -- they provided other channels, and that other companies will follow Comcast-NBC's lead in diversifying its suppliers, which were also voluntary conditions.