30 Rockefeller Plaza is one of the most beloved buildings in New York City. Hell, there's even a TV show named after it. Now that Comcast, majority shareholder of NBC Universal, is growing into an Earth-swallowing corporate behemoth, they are looking to erect their huge glowing logo atop the skyscraper, replacing the GE logo that's been there for decades.
The New York Times reports today that Comcast has applied for a "certificate of appropriateness" from NYC's Landmarks and Preservation Commission, which would grant it the power to install a giant LED sign on 30 Rock. Currently occupying that spot are the initials of General Electric, which replaced the RCA logo in 1988.
Clearly, 30 Rock is a prime spot for a good old fashioned corporate pissing contest. According to the Times, if Comcast gets its way, the plans would be as follows:
As proposed, more modest 12-foot-high light-emitting diode signs that spell out Comcast in white uppercase letters would be installed on the broader north and south limestone exteriors, crowned by 10-foot-high NBC peacock logos. A 17-foot-high peacock would appear by itself on the western facade (more or less facing Philadelphia). Measured in overall square feet, the new signs would be slightly more compact than the existing G.E. signs.
It doesn't sound so bad, and honestly, what's the harm in replacing one corporate logo with another. But given how universally reviled Comcast is, especially in the wake of their proposed merger with Time Warner, New Yorkers might not be so quick to warm to the change. [The New York Times]
Image: Jonathan Feinstein