Jeff Zucker, NBC Universal President & CEO, was interviewed a little bit ago by CNBC, as part of their coverage on the economic viability and future of New York City.  He addressed three issues:

1.  The Foul Ball: Under the assumption that a foul ball is meaningless, Zucker said:  “In times like this, advertising actually is an important thing for companies to do.  It’s been proven that in down periods companies that advertise actually gain market share.  Those that continue to step up and continue to do so obviously can look for a greater return for their ….” and at that point one of those obnoxious “zoom” sounds that TV likes to use to divert viewer attention to something irrelevant to the actual conversation (like a tease for another news story coming up) deleted any opportunity to understand what he said.  It doesn’t matter.  Yes.  Trying to promote your product or service can provide a good ROI in down times; it can do the same thing in up times.  So?  That doesn’t mean the promotion is going to happen the same way it happened in the past.

2. The Hits: He got it right when he said, when responding to NBC Universal will do when making business decisions:  “In these times we’ll look where we can get the best economic deal.”  Makes sense.  A hit.  Consider what he said next:  “We love New York, but we’re willing to listen to everyone” – as in: NBC Universal is willing to leave New York for wherever it can get the best deal.  As in:  New York is no longer the de facto headquarters for entertainment/communications businesses.

3. The Big Strike: He also said that the great audience for the Super Bowl this past Sunday was evidence of the power of the NFL and “showed the power of broadcast television.”  What is showed was the power of a great event to draw an audience.  Period.  Yes, it was a good day for the NFL and for NBC – and they’ll each have many good days again; but no, it says nothing about broadcast television except that a single network can accommodate a massive audience and to the extent that is an advantage over other online distribution channels, it is an advantage.  But as long as NBC Universal believes the Super Bowl was a testament to broadcast TV, they will be moving too slowly to exploit their current advantage.