Rock the Peacock: NBCU Band Preps for Finals

A combination of promotion and tech executives from NBC Universal will square off Saturday in the finals of the Battle of the Corporate Bands.

The band, which calls itself High Definition, was among some 40 bands to send in demo tapes to the contest and one of 18 chosen for three regional finals, according to an NBCU spokeswoman. High Definition made it to the final six.

The competition benefits music education and is co-sponsored by Fortune magazine and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, where the finals will be held. Also in the competition are bands from Deloitte, Grey Worldwide, American Century Investments, Sony Computer Entertainment, Calzone Case and Juniper Networks.

High Definition comprises Jim Vescera, drums (executive vice president, on-air advertising, The NBC Agency); Mike D'Angelo, vocals (senior writer-producer, NBC on-air advertising); Robbie Alves, guitar/vocals (engineer, on-air advertising); Russ Stacey, bass/vocals (manager, NBC transmission, skypath and capitol planning); Roger Rivas, keyboards (director, NBCU global-operations project office; and Todd Friedman, lead guitar (VP, information technology, Universal Music Group).

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.