Veteran investigative journalist Wayne Barrett, now with TheDailyBeast.com, has implied that the Rev. Al Sharpton is being rewarded with his own show on MSNBC for signing a "pivotal agreement" backing Comcast's takeover of NBC and its affiliated properties. Barrett observed that while Sharpton frequently contributes soundbites principally to Fox News, his three prior talks shows as an anchor "flopped badly." Commented Barrett "Sharpton has a long and well-documented history of leveraging his civil-rights profile for his own benefit. Grabbing a primetime anchor spot in exchange for cheerleading for a controversial merger would be the capper on that career." [Several publications, including The New York Times , have indicated that Sharpton will be installed in the MSNBC lineup at 6 00 p.m., which is not considered primetime. MSNBC has not confirmed the reports.] Barrett further reported that Comcast has given $140,000 to Sharpton's National Action Network since 2009, the same year the merger was first proposed; NBC declined to say how much it has given Sharpton.

28/07/2011