Parallels seen in ABC, NBC shifts

In 1986, Capital Cities -- a drab TV station owner with a No. 2 exec named Dan Burke -- acquired ABC. Now Comcast -- perceived as a drab cable system owner, whose No. 2 exec is Burke's son, Steve -- has agreed to assume control of NBC Universal. Whether Comcast follows the CapCities playbook given all that's happened during the intervening years will partly depend, to borrow oft-quoted military parlance, on conditions on the ground. Yet assuming the well-regarded Burke and his boss, Brian Roberts, learned anything from that history, the NBC U deal might leave the acquired company with less to fear, and more potential upside, than many have thus far suggested.