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Why Rupert Murdoch Won't Buy NBC Stake

The News Corp. mogul is interested, but the deal will likely not go through

By Evann Gastaldo, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 13, 2009 11:53 AM CDT

(Newser) – Sources tell CNBC Rupert Murdoch wants to add a stake in NBC Universal to his ever-expanding media empire—which could lead to some awkward moments between Bill O’Reilly and Keith Olbermann at the company Christmas party—but it probably won’t happen, writes John Cook on Gawker. Considering the ongoing negotiations between NBC parent company GE and Comcast, the rumors are “almost certainly just a way for GE to keep pressure on Comcast and let them know that it has other options.”

Not to mention, “the FCC would blow a gasket.” News Corp. has already maxed out the number of television stations it can own, and “the anti-trust implications make it a far stretch.” Plus—and this seals the deal—a prognosticator who has been used by the CIA to predict the future says it will happen. So, “much as we'd love to imagine MSNBC under Murdoch's gentle-but-firm leadership,” Cook concludes, “it’s not going to happen.”

The NBC peacock logo hangs on the NBC studios building on October 20, 2008 in Burbank, California. (Getty Images)

Rupert Murdoch speaks during a media conference at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday Jan. 28, 2009. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Rupert Murdoch attends the 'A Steady Rain' Broadway opening night at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on September 29, 2009 in New York City. (Getty Images)

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Why Rupert Murdoch Won't Buy NBC Stake

The News Corp. mogul is interested, but the deal will likely not go through

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Why Rupert Murdoch Won't Buy NBC Stake

The News Corp. mogul is interested, but the deal will likely not go through

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OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

media • Comcast • Rupert Murdoch • NBC Universal • CNBC • News Corp

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Wendi Deng's Twitter Account Is—Gasp!—a Fake

@wendi_deng is not actually Mrs. Rupert Murdoch

Now on Twitter: Rupert Murdoch

But is the account real? Some think not

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Newser By Users

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