More fodder for the MS/NBC breakup debate…
Mark Glaser in the Online Journalism Review has a nice in depth article on the MSNBC.com redesign but also manages to weigh in on the oft talked about breakup of Microsoft and NBC from the deal…
MSNBC TV has struggled in the cable news ratings, dropping to fourth behind Fox News, CNN and even CNN Headline News during the second quarter of this year. Microsoft has been trying to get out of the media-creation business since its mid-’90s splash (and subsequent burn), shedding Slate and trying to focus more on software and technology. One source with inside knowledge told me the TV joint venture is likely to end in the next three to six months, but the complicated 99-year deal between Microsoft and NBC is quite expensive to break up. Microsoft has invested more than $500 million in the TV venture.
The whole article is here…
