The Idiocacy Of Jeff Zucker and The Downfall of NBC

This past Sunday, NBC Universal chief executive Jeff Zucker rallied against Apple saying that Apple had destroyed the ability of traditional media companies to set profitable rates for their content online. He also revealed that in negotiations he not only wanted more flexible pricing, he wanted a cut of iPod sales.

This is just the latest example of Zucker's incompetence. The man who took NBC from first to worst wants a cut of iPod sales? Do television manufacturers give him a cut? It's the same principle. His argument is that the iPod would be nothing without content. So would the television set. The fact is Zucker had no clue how to run a network in the first place, and now that he's faced with a changing marketplace, he's completely stumped.

NBC Universal has a history of bad tech decisions, such as teaming with Microsoft for MSNBC and exclusively backing HD-DVD. So because Apple knows how to sell media, and Jeff Zucker doesn't, he has to go after them. But why should anyone take seriously the man who destroyed NBC? Jack Welch, former CEO of NBC's parent company General Electric, has stated if he were still in control, Zucker would have been fired by now.

If NBC wants to survive in this brave new world, not only do they need as many video distribution partners as possible, they need to fire Jeff Zucker.