Bloomberg

This weekend is Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholders meeting, and the business networks have coverage planned for the company, led by billionaire Warren Buffett.

Becky Quick will be in Omaha for CNBC, running through the weekend. FBN’s Liz Claman will be reporting from outside the meeting this weekend, and gives tips to attendees here.

Of course Buffett will also be giving interviews, both FBN and CNBC are claiming “exclusives.”

Buffett will be appearing first on CNBC Monday morning, where he will be a guest on “Squawk Box” for all three hours of the program from 6-9 AM. At 9:30 AM, Buffett will be appearing in a joint interview with Microsoft founder Bill Gates on FBN.

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Are Bloomberg TV and VICE working on a new TV network together? At VICE’s “upfront” presentation last night, that seemed to be the insinuation, according to Ad Age‘s Michael Learmonth.

Vice announced a coming news channel, and told the audience it would be produced in partnership with Bloomberg. Asked for details of this, a Vice spokesman walked it back a bit — this was a boozy affair, after all. It’s not a partnership just yet but talks, which probably explains why Bloomberg Media Networks CEO Andy Lack was briefly in the audience.

VICE already has a large amount of video content, as well as content deals with larger media companies… including CNN.

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Breaking: Comcast subscribers should expect to see Bloomberg TV next to Fox News, CNN and CNBC in the coming weeks.

The FCC has found in Bloomberg’s favor in its long-running complaint with Comcast. In case you aren’t up to speed: Bloomberg argued to the FCC that–as part of its deal to acquire NBCUniversal– Comcast promised to place “independent” news networks in the same channel “neighborhoods” as the major TV news channels.

Today, the FCC said that yes, Comcast must place Bloomberg TV in the same neighborhoods as its competitors like CNBC and Fox Business, as well as general news channels like CNN or Fox News (read the full FCC decision after the jump). If a Comcast region has multiple news “neighborhoods,” then Bloomberg must be placed in one of them.

Comcast says it “respectfully disagree[s]” with the decision, and that it will immediately file an appeal. Comcast’s full statement is after the jump.

Theoretically, the decision could open the floodgates for lawsuits from other independent programmers such as Current TV, Al Jazeera or BBC World News, which will argue that they too deserve to be placed in those neighborhoods.  FBN and similar networks would not be eligible because they are associated with larger media companies. The FCC attempted to somewhat undercut potential lawsuits by strictly defining a news channel as such in the decision:

Based on the definition of “independent news channel”58 and the phrasing of the news neighborhooding condition, we conclude that the term “news channels,” as used in the condition, refers to channels whose programming during the hours from 6:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. is focused on reporting and analysis relating to public affairs or local affairs of general interest or relating to business.

That would seem to exclude Current TV, at least for now, though Current is expected to ramp up its original dayside programming in the next few months.

Either way, this decision is a big, big deal.

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Bloomberg TV had some “must see TV,” on “Street Smart,” a debate that it was calling “Paul vs. Paul.”

Economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman and GOP Presidential candidate Ron Paul debated monetary policy, and it was fiery.

The video is an auto-play, so watch after the jump:

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Margaret Brennan, who has been with Bloomberg TV for nearly three years, is leaving the network, TVNewser has learned. Brennan joined Bloomberg from CNBC in 2009. Brennan’s departure, described as mutual, comes as the network plans changes to its morning lineup later this Spring.

Andrew Morse, head of U.S. TV for Bloomberg, says the changes are a continuation of Bloomberg’s “evolution into a digital, multi-platform news organization.” The changes have included a round of staff cuts as well as the posting of new positions, last month.

The programming shifts include a simulcast of Tom Keene‘s radio program “Surveillance” which airs from 6-8amET replacing “Inside Track” which was hosted by Erik Schatzker and Stephanie Ruhle.

“It’s not just doing TV on the radio,” Morse tells TVNewser, “but a true multi-media program.” The show will stream on Bloomberg.com and on the Bloomberg TV+ and Radio+ tablet apps. Keene will be joined by Sara Eisen, Scarlet Fu and Ken Prewitt.

Betty Liu will continue to anchor “In the Loop” from 8-10amET. Then, Schatzker and Ruhle will host a new show at 10am, replacing Brennan’s “In Business.”

In a Media Beat interview last summer, Brennan told us about her decision to leave CNBC for Bloomberg, and also hinted at a true passion: international reporting. Brennan’s final day hosting “In Business” is this Friday.

Keene’s NoonET program goes away and will be replaced by a what Morse calls a “high-profile ensemble cast” who will be assessing the market at Midday.

The war of words between Comcast and Bloomberg TV continues this week, with both companies submitting new memos to the FCC. To back up: Bloomberg TV argues that the deal Comcast made with the FCC in order to acquire NBCUniversal requires the cable company to include Bloomberg TV in any news “channel neighborhoods.” Comcast argues that it only applies to newly created news neighborhoods, not existing ones.

Recently Bloomberg argued that Comcast created new news neighborhoods without including Bloomberg TV. This week Comcast said that Bloomberg’s claim was completely inaccurate.

Bloomberg’s latest assertions are demonstrably false. As discussed below, the alleged channel relocations never took place. Bloomberg’s latest submission does not cite any data or other evidence. Bloomberg instead relies upon ipse dixit representations of counsel.

Bloomberg responded with a statement to the FCC saying that Comcast allegedly filed incorrect channel lineups to Tribune Media Services, which is where it got its information.

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Bloomberg TV anchor Trish Regan is pregnant with her third child, she announced yesterday on “Street Smart.”

“I’m very, very excited,” she said. “We’re adding to the chaos.” Watch:

Bloomberg TV continues its relentless effort to use Comcast’s NBCUniversal deal to affect channel placement. The company has filed another document with the FCC, reiterating its prior claim that it should be placed into existing channel “neighborhoods” that feature news, and arguing that Comcast has created new news neighborhoods without including Bloomberg. It also argues that the FCC is yet to act on its initial complaint, filed over a year ago.

From the Los Angeles Times‘ Joe Flint:

“We need a passport to get to the news neighborhood from where we are now,” cracked Greg Babyak, head of government Affairs for Bloomberg LP.

…

In its latest FCC filing, Bloomberg claimed Comcast has done just that. It cited two markets — Crescent City, Fla., and Claxton, Ga. — where Comcast created a neighborhood of news channels but left out Bloomberg Television.

“Comcast is favoring its own programming content and discriminating against competitors,” Bloomberg attorneys told the FCC.

Comcast responded with a statement of its own:
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Bloomberg TV and “Street Smart” anchor Lisa Murphy parted ways last week, TVNewser has learned.

“Given some of the recent changes in Lisa’s personal life and the recent changes here at Bloomberg, we mutually decided this would be an appropriate time to part ways,” a Bloomberg spokesperson said. “We wish Lisa all the best.”

Bloomberg TV cut 30 staffers last month in preparation for the network’s shift to a digital newsroom, although the spokesperson said Murphy’s departure was unrelated to those layoffs.

There is no word on future plans for Murphy, who joined Bloomberg in October 2010 from the Fox-owned local station in New York. Going forward, a rotation of Bloomberg anchors will join Trish Regan and Adam Johnson on “Street Smart,” which airs daily from 3-5pmET.

Anchor Andrea Catherwood and producer Gary Kanofsky have both left Bloomberg TV’s London bureau.

A Bloomberg spokesperson confirmed the departures, saying they are not related to a round of layoffs Bloomberg announced last week.

Kanofsky’s departure comes just eight months after he joined the network as senior executive producer. Catherwood, the host of “The Last Word” on Bloomberg Europe, joined the network from ITV News in 2009.