Just ahead of the election, media conglomerate Comcast-Universal hinted that it was looking into the prospect of either putting up for sale or spinning off its cable television division. The clutch of channels it owns includes a number of cable mainstays, such as CNBC, The USA Network, E!, SyFy, and The Golf Channel, as well as Oprah Winfrey’s lightly regarded Oxygen. The most prominent — and most controversial — name on the list has to be MSNBC.
This was a position you could almost have sympathy over, given the state of cable television these days. Cord-cutting has not only been trending, it has accelerated at a rate that it is by now an outright cultural shift, and the prospects are dim. NBC-U is not facing a buyer’s market but one in which there might be no interest. As a result, it announced today that it would divest the cable division into its own entity.
So most of the cable networks will be bundled together into a new entity (with the curious omission being Bravo, which NBC-U will see remaining under its umbrella) as well as the cinema-based digital outlets Rotten Tomatoes and the movie ticketing/streaming service Fandango. A number of NBC executives will pilot this new entity, which will begin its separate existence in the new year.
The cable channels are reported by Ben Mullin to still be profitable, but the fortunes for this sector are looking dim, and the long-term prospects are expected to be a drag on the company. NBC-U will retain the broadcast division, as this is still considered a revenue stream, entirely due to sports, which dominate viewership these days. Last year, of the top 100 watched broadcasts, we see how dependent they are: 93 were NFL games, four were NCAA games, and the other three were special event broadcasts. The first scheduled programming you see was ranked 136th for the year.
Since that prior announcement by NBC-U, the prospects for its left-wing news channel have only become worse, with the Donald Trump victory taking things to new lows. First, there was the revelation that Al Sharpton pocketed a tidy sum from the lavish-spending Kamala Harris campaign, where the bad reverend was granted $500,000, and he repaid Kamala when he delivered a tongue-bath interview on October 20. This is a severe breach of journalism ethics, and the network heads have not addressed this payola scandal in any fashion. […]
— Read More: redstate.com
At Last, a Company With Integrity in the Gold IRA Industry
For several years, I’ve been vetting out precious metals companies in search of the best. I believe in gold and silver but it’s hard to find integrity in the Gold IRA industry. The vast majority operate with shady tactics and gigantic spreads that take advantage of Americans who simply want to protect their life’s savings.
I’ve found a handful that I like and I’ve worked with some of them. By no means would I “unrecommend” them because, again, I vetted them out and found them to be above the fold. Unfortunately, it isn’t hard to be better than the rest when the rest are so darn awful.
After years of searching, I finally found a company that truly operates with integrity. Augusta Precious Metals has three important attributes that set them far above the competition:
- Non-Commissioned Sales Team: I cannot stress how important and unique this is. With just about every other company in the Gold IRA industry, the sales teams make commission from every account they open. This means they steer their clients toward the gold and silver products with the highest commission. With Augusta Precious Metals, the team is solely focused on putting the best gold and silver for their clients into their IRA. They get paid to serve the best interests of the Gold IRA client, NOT their own commission pay.
- Incredibly Low Fees: Most Americans would be shocked if they knew the spread other Gold IRA companies charge. Augusta charges just 5% versus up to 45% elsewhere.
- No Pressure, No Gimmicks: There’s an understanding among most in the Gold IRA industry that fear and pressure is the way to go. Augusta Precious Metals takes a sober approach when working with clients because they hold integrity in the highest possible regard. This is why they don’t offer gimmicks like “free” or “bonus” silver. It’s also why they do not apply pressure tactics to get quick sales. Their educational and transparent approach to doing business is exceedingly rare in the Gold IRA industry.
