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    “Small handful” of NBC employees opt out of Olympics 

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments1592 Views
    In this April 14, 2016, file photo, Savannah Guthrie attends the 2016 Room To Grow Benefit in New York. The "Today" show co-host announced June 7, 2016, on the NBC program that she is pregnant and skipping the upcoming Rio Olympics due to concerns over the Zika virus. (Photo by Christopher Smith/Invision/AP, File)

    By David Bauder, Television Writer

    NEW YORK (AP) --

    Savannah Guthrie of the "Today" show put a public face Tuesday on what NBC says is a "small handful" of employees who will not travel to Rio de Janeiro this summer for Olympics coverage because of concern over the Zika virus.

    The co-host of the morning news show, who is 44, announced she was pregnant with her second child. Brazil is the country hardest-hit by the mosquito-borne virus, which can cause severe birth defects, including babies born with abnormally small heads.

    NBC is sending more than 2,000 employees to Brazil to cover the Olympics, which take place Aug. 5-21. The company advises anyone concerned about the virus to check with their own doctors, and said no one will be required to travel if they believe their health would be at risk.

    The network would not specify what it meant by a "small handful" of employees, NBC Sports spokesman Chris McCloskey said. Guthrie is the first employee to drop out of the trip to identify herself publicly.

    It's an important trip for the "Today" show, which is a close second to ABC's "Good Morning America" in the ratings. NBC plays up the Olympic connection for its morning news program, in the hopes of drawing new viewers who will stick with the program after the games are over.

    "You'll have to go to female beach volleyball without me, Matt," Guthrie said to co-host Matt Lauer on Tuesday.

    Many of the employees who won't make the trip to Rio are assigned instead to NBC Sports' facility in Stamford, Connecticut, just outside New York. The network runs its digital operation from there, and even has broadcast teams that work on some of the lesser-watched sports from the Stamford offices. All of the Olympic competition is streamed online.

    The World Health Organization said in Geneva on Tuesday that it will convene a special Zika emergency committee to examine the present stage of the virus. There have been outbreaks of the virus throughout Latin America. The WHO and Centers for Disease Control recommend that pregnant women shouldn't travel to any country where Zika is spreading, including Brazil.

    The WHO's director-general asked the emergency committee to examine the risks of holding the Olympics in Brazil.

    Tags:NBCOlympicsZika virus



    DirecTV calls off acquisition of rival Dish, possibly ending a yearslong pursuit

    Friday, November 22, 2024
    Dish Network satellite dishes are shown at an apartment complex in Palo Alto, Calif., Feb. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)

    DirecTV is calling off its planned acquisition of rival Dish after the offer was rejected by bond holders at that company.

    The deal was reliant on Dish bond holders agreeing to trade in the debt they held for debt in the new company, a swap that would have cost them about $1.6 billion, collectively.

    The retreat by DirecTV this week may end a years-long effort by the company to acquire both Dish and Sling after it announced the bid in September.

    DirecTV was looking to acquire Dish TV and Sling TV from its owner EchoStar in a debt exchange transaction that included a payment of $1, plus the assumption of approximately $9.8 billion in debt. The deal was contingent on several factors, including regulatory approvals and bondholders writing off debt related to Dish.

    "While we believed a combination of DirecTV and Dish would have benefited all stakeholders, we have terminated the transaction because the proposed exchange terms were necessary to protect DirecTV's balance sheet and our operational flexibility," DirecTV CEO Bill Morrow said in a statement.

    The prospect of a DirecTV-Dish combo has long been rumored, and reported talks resurfaced over the years. And the two almost merged more than two decades ago — but the Federal Communications Commission blocked the deal valued at the time at $18.5 billion deal, citing antitrust concerns.

    The pay-for-TV market has shifted significantly since. As more and more consumers tune into online streaming platforms, demand for more traditional satellite entertainment continues to shrink.

    DirecTV says that it will continue to invest in next-generation streaming platforms and offer new packaging options while integrating content from live TV alongside direct-to-consumer... Read More

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