Count NBCU President Jeff Zucker among those who
think the merger with Comcast can get done this year, though he said he expects
to have a better idea of the timing by next month.
That came in a note to employees following GE's
announcement of its third-quarter results, according to an NBC blog posting.
"[O]ur transition teams are hard at work
preparing for the new NBC Universal," he said. "We're on track for a
close of the transaction with Comcast, hopefully by the end of the year. As I'm
sure you know, the timing will ultimately be determined by the FCC and the
Department of Justice. We'll have a clearer idea about timing as we get into
November."
If it does, the third could be the last NBCU quarter under Zucker's
stewardship. He is exiting the company when the deal is finalized.
