For many years dating back into the 90's I have refered to CC as the borg (as have many others according to my internet search). Then I run across this below. I cannot find a date but am entertained by the bold line (added) at the end of my paste.
MTV is owned by Viacom-- whose video monopoly is even more complete than Clear Channel's radio monopoly. Viacom = the original MTV, as well as MTV2; MTVi online; plus VH1; and the country music video channels CMT and CMT Canada; MTV en Espanol; all the overseas MTVs like MTV Europe; MTV5 (Russia) - even a 24-hour video channel in South China. And don't forget, BET is no longer Black-owned. It's now part of Viacom.
But music videos are just the tip of the iceberg:
Viacom also owns the cable channels Nickelodeon, TNN, Showtime, Movie Channel, and Cinamerica. And they own half of Comedy Central (The other half belongs to AOL Time-Warner which owns CNN, HBO, Court TV, the Atlanta Braves... and even 53.75% of cable TV in Hungary, among much much more.)
But back to Viacom-- they absorbed CBS in 1999, so Viacom includes CBS News, CBS Radio Network, Face The Nation, 60 Minutes, CBSMarketWatch.com, Sportsline, and SonicNet...and The Price is Right, Late Show with David Letterman, Everybody Loves Raymond, as well as Daytime Emmy Award-winning soaps such as Guiding Light and As the World Turns. Did I mention that Viacom also owns the Daytime Emmy Awards?
Viacom owns some theme parks, too. So it's fitting that their their corporate headquarters has a big presence in the corporate theme-park takeover of Times Square. And if you go down to Ground Zero, you'll see that the scale-model showing what the new WTC will look like-- already has a big MTV logo above the main entryway. What's with that?
Oh yeah, I almost forgot that Viacom is also Paramount Pictures. So they also own the UPN network. And-- by owning Paramount Television-- Viacom owns Star Trek & all it's spin-offs. Viacom literally is The Borg.
"We are the CC Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your broadcast stations. We will add your biological and creative distinctiveness to our own. Your broadcast personality will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile."
I believe "borg"--as applied to CC-- first came up in an article run in the Columbus Dispatch around the time when Jacor swallowed up WTVN, WNCI and several other stations.
"Ja-borg" naturally transformed into "the Borg" as in CC when CC absorbed Jacor.
Les Moonves (CBS CEO) reportedly told investors today that CBS is looking to cut capital spending from $500 million in 2008 to $350 million in 2009 and that the company will sell more of its radio portfolio if it can get "the right price".
Rather outdated information in that original post. CBS and Viacom are now two separate companies. CBS ended up with, among other things, Paramount Parks, which CBS then sold to Cedar Fair for $1.24 billion. The transaction closed on June 30, 2006. Sumner Redstone still has a controlling interest in both CBS and Viacom, but may soon lose it. He also rather famously ousted his daughter, as he had earlier done with various sons.
Tom Taggart wrote:I believe "borg"--as applied to CC-- first came up in an article run in the Columbus Dispatch around the time when Jacor swallowed up WTVN, WNCI and several other stations.
"Ja-borg" naturally transformed into "the Borg" as in CC when CC absorbed Jacor.
I literally was the first I knew who used the term as such. However I knew almost for certain that someone had to have come up with it and spread it before I did. I have no false pride believing I started a national joke myself. Just because we don't know about something doesn't mean it does not exist. Thanks for sending me in the right direction on how that really started.
Last edited by Force Commander on Wed Jan 07, 2009 8:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"We are the CC Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your broadcast stations. We will add your biological and creative distinctiveness to our own. Your broadcast personality will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile."
The Interpreter wrote:Rather outdated information in that original post. CBS and Viacom are now two separate companies. CBS ended up with, among other things, Paramount Parks, which CBS then sold to Cedar Fair for $1.24 billion. The transaction closed on June 30, 2006. Sumner Redstone still has a controlling interest in both CBS and Viacom, but may soon lose it. He also rather famously ousted his daughter, as he had earlier done with various sons.
I just found the borg comparison interesting as I had not heard it mentioned except reference to CC.
"We are the CC Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your broadcast stations. We will add your biological and creative distinctiveness to our own. Your broadcast personality will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile."
