(Bloomberg) -- Media mogul Byron Allen has no qualms about ramping up his racial-discrimination dispute with Comcast Corp., and the departure of the company’s chief diversity officer is the catalyst he’s using.
Only hours after Comcast announced that David Cohen will step down from his operational roles, Allen called for the cable and entertainment giant to sit down with its critics. Cohen in a statement said that, on the advice of Chief Executive Officer Brian Roberts, he will become a senior counselor to the executive after 2020.
“With David Cohen out of the way, this is a pivotal moment in the history and legacy of Comcast and Brian Roberts,” Allen said in a statement. Comcast “should immediately rescind their petition in the U.S. Supreme Court challenging the civil rights of over 100 million Americans and sit down with” its detractors, including U.S. Senators Kamala Harris and Cory Booker, Sean “Diddy” Combs, actress Gabrielle Union and others.
Allen, a former comedian who owns Entertainment Studios Inc., alleges that Comcast’s unwillingness to carry most of his cable channels is prejudicial. The Supreme Court recently heard Comcast’s appeal of a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that Allen’s lawsuit can go forward.
“With all of us working together, we can truly make this better for millions of Americans and Comcast/NBCUniversal,” Allen said.
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