Yesterday the Chicago Tribune reported that Comcast is
resurrecting EveryBlock – the local community website that NBC shut down last year
because it was not profitable – starting with a Chicago site. EveryBlock looks
like a great community resource, but is this just a move to undermine CAN TV in
the ongoing franchise negotiations? We certainly hope not, but it does seem
like eerie timing to be relaunching this site in Chicago alone.
Comcast executives are quoted in the article saying that EveryBlock
“fits in the company and the localness we have,” despite the site being pulled
last year citing “'considerable' financial losses and the lack of a strategic
fit with its digital portfolio.” Why is Comcast bringing the site back now of
all times? Especially interesting because the article notes that Comcast
executives – including Matt Summy, Comcast’s VP for Government Affairs with
whom CMA members met last August to talk about the future of CAN TV – “still
hasn’t figured out how to make the site profitable.”
If Comcast is so keen to support “hyperlocal news” and “user
contributions,” without a profit motive, they need to look no further than the
public’s channels at CAN TV.
No comments:
Post a Comment