NBC Loses Seat on Trade Group’s Board

General Electric Corp.’s NBC television unit lost its seat on the board of the National Assn. of Broadcasters, the industry’s trade group. The association lifted NBC’s board privileges when WNBC-TV in New York, the network’s board designee, failed to pay its dues, although the network remains a member in the lobbying group. The action came after NBC demanded that the industry group cut the network’s annual dues to $200,000 from $400,000. NBC also has protested the group’s support for rules barring a broadcast company from owning TV stations that reach more than 35% of U.S. homes. The broadcaster group “had hoped to avert this situation,” said Edward O. Fritts, its president and chief executive, in a letter to NBC Vice President Robert Okun.