Don't Mess With The Best

Despite assurances to the contrary, media watchers wonder whether the NBC-Comcast merger will hit NBC News, among other operations.

Having been through three such giant media takeovers, my previous experience informs me that there will be substantial change:

• Corporate culture clash will trigger executive dominance displays resulting in visible on-air personnel shifts, and
• Inevitable austerity by new owners with buyers remorse.

It's what happens when smaller companies, like Comcast, pay too much to own an acquisition, like NBC/Universal, and then later feel they can't afford to operate in the way that made them want to buy it.