The RNC debate committee voted unanimously yesterday to punish NBC News for the October CNBC debate debacle and severed business ties with the network.  NBC was scheduled to host the February 26 debate in Houston.  Instead, the debate will take place on February 25 and be hosted by CNN.

The RNC first suspended their relationship with the network after CNBC put on what most media observers concluded was a partisan hit job on GOP candidates in October.  There were efforts to negotiate a new agreement with the network, but the RNC finally gave up.

Politico:

The committee voted via conference call Monday after negotiations with NBC failed, two sources familiar with the call confirmed. The RNC initially suspended the relationship with NBC on Oct. 30, following a debate on CNBC that angered many of the campaigns and the RNC for the network's handling of the debate format and the moderators' line of questioning.

At the time, NBC said it looked forward to working in "good faith to resolve this matter with the Republican Party."

Though NBC won't be a part of the debate, NBC-owned Telemundo will still take part as will the original conservative media partner National Review. Salem Communications, which has partnered with CNN for its previous two Republican primary debates will also participate.

"The Republican National Committee has decided to move forward without NBC's participation in our February debate in Houston, Texas. The RNC has awarded the debate to CNN, who will broadcast it on Thursday, February 25th in Houston at a location to be decided," RNC Chairman Reince Priebus wrote in a statement.

It will be the third Republican debate hosted by CNN. The network is also scheduled to host a Republican primary debate in March in Florida.

It seems to me that the parties have the upper hand in this process.  Why doesn't the RNC engage a hall, invite the candidates, choose the questioners, and then announce that any media organization who wishes to cover the event can pay a fee for access to the live stream?  The RNC is not in the business of making money for networks.  They're supposedly in the business of promoting the party and its candidates.  This kind of setup would assure maximum exposure for the GOP and its candidates.

But exclusivity maximizes profit for the network and allows the RNC to make millions as well.  In the process, both the candidates and the voters are shortchanged.