Allbritton making noise about Comcast-NBC deal

Allbritton Communications -- the parent company of Politico, the influential Capitol Hill news operation; WJLA-TV, the ABC affiliate in Washington (DC) and NewsChannel 8, a local cable news network -- is the latest looking to throw a road block in front of cable giant Comcast Corp.'s pending deal to acquire a controlling stake in NBC Universal.

Over the last several weeks, Allbritton has run lots of advertisements both on Politico's website and on cable and broadcast television about the potential pitfalls of a marriage between Comcast, the nation's largest cable and broadband provider and NBC Universal, the entertainment giant. Why is Allbritton so concerned about the Comcast - NBC Universal deal? If the deal is approved, Comcast will own WRC-TV, the NBC station in the market and a chief rival of WJLA and NewsChannel 8. Not only does Allbritton think Comcast will play hardball when it comes to negotiating distribution deals for the two channels, but it also fears that WRC could benefit unfairly in the battle for TV news supremacy.