Summary: Microsoft is broadcasting its messages to the world via NBC, its new advertising partner (not just 'news' partner); the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is reportedly working with Microsoft again, months after its executive Steven VanRoekel was named managing director of the FCC

Microsoft and NBC: Decoupling Couple

IT HAS BEEN a long time since we last wrote about MSNBC's manipulation of stories in Microsoft's favour. Yes, Microsoft is also in the news business, reporting about itself in collaboration with NBC's reputation. There are some other examples of channels that Microsoft and Gates partly control through investments, but we leave those aside today.

The news starts with a press release which says that "NBC Taps Microsoft Advertising" and it is celebrated by only two sources we could find, namely Microsoft Nick and another very familiar Microsoft booster.

NBC has tapped Microsoft Advertising to do a broad, multiplatform campaign for promoting the network's fall television lineup, the companies announced Thursday.

We later found another site that covered it, but that's about it. This hardly matters, but it received congratulatory coverage.

Is anyone surprised by these moves? This pair is already working very closely together. Is this the best Microsoft can do? Use existing partners to pretend to have 'won' a contract?

aQuantive

Also in the Microsoft Web sites:

Record aQuantive deal slow to produce results for Microsoft

Three years after Microsoft agreed to buy Seattle-based digital advertising company aQuantive, the Redmond company’s ad revenues have barely budged, its online losses have deepened, many of aQuantive’s top executives have left, and one of aQuantive’s biggest units has been sold.

Microsoft sold part of the company (after rumours), shedding off over 2,000 workers in the process. Microsoft actually laid off many more and lost many managers, including many aQuantive heads. Since their acquisition they have left Microsoft. We kept track of them because it matters where they end up influencing, often connecting the new employer with the former (Microsoft). This leads us to the next report.

FCC Managing Director and Microsoft

We are actually a lot more interested in what Microsoft does with the regulators of media/network and broadcast. Recall what happened to the FCC after it had hired a Microsoft executive for a top position [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. It happened after Microsoft had been trying to get into the core of the system and this push is back again. (more from John Letzing in the Wall Street Journal)

U.S. Federal Communications Commission officials have visited Microsoft Corp.'s Redmond, Wash., campus to examine an experimental network relying on unused TV airwaves the company hopes will help lead to expanded Internet access, according to a public filing.

Is the FCC giving Microsoft an opportunity to also control networks now? Is Microsoft not getting enough with the media layer just yet? Eben Moglen recently explained why this is dangerous.⬆