The Huffington Post's acquisition could have gone a lot differently: Former NBC Universal president Jeff Zucker said NBC had tried for 18 months to buy the news outlet but “could never agree on price,” the Poynter Institute reports.
At a talk sponsored by Harvard’s Shorenstein Center, Zucker said the purchase made for “a very good day if you believe in news. It helps The Huffington Post monetize its investment and gives AOL a bigger platform,” Poynter reported.
The purchase would have given NBC ownership of two major news outlets known for leaning left: the site, sold Sunday to AOL in a $315 million deal, and MSNBC, which has branded itself as a liberal alternative to Fox News with hosts including Rachel Maddow and the just-exited Keith Olbermann.
And get ready for your head to spin as you contemplate how the deal would have gone down amid NBCUniversal's $30 billion purchase by Comcast, which closed last month.
"30 Rock," never one to miss a jab at its corporate owners, probably could have gotten some great episodes out it.
