Jesse Jackson opines on Comcast merger: Calls for diversity to be priority at hearing in Chicago

The Hollywood Reporter reports:

Diversity took center stage again Thursday when the Comcast-NBC Universal road show stopped in Chicago to hear the opinions of witnesses like the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who submitted his list of a dozen ideas the companies should consider before he might bless their union.

A merged Comcast-NBC Uni should spend 25% of all advertising, marketing and vendor dollars with minority-owned firms, Jackson said. He called for training programs for minorities and for the company to pluck new hires from "multicultural career fairs." And mentoring programs should encourage students to aspire to work in telecommunications.

"Diversity should be a top-down priority in every aspect of the merger," Jackson said in his prepared remarks.

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