$EACREST $IGNS DEAL WITH NBC

All in one week for Ryan Seacrest: a $30-million contract to remain as host of Fox’s American Idol for the next two years; a nearly debilitating case of the flu (or some other ailment that nearly knocked him off Idol for the first time); and now a multifaceted contract with Comcast and NBC that will […]

NBC UNIVERSAL CHIEF LOSES A THIRD OF HIS PAY

NBC Universal CEO Steve Burke had his compensation slashed by more than a third in 2011, according to an SEC filing. Not that the reduction will inspire much distress. Burke wound up the year with $23.7 million versus $34.7 million he received the previous year. Also taking a significant cut in pay was Burke’s boss, […]

EVEN NBC’S BOSS HAS DOUBTS ABOUT SMASH

NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke has described as “problematic” the future of NBC’s expensive new entry, Smash. Speaking during a conference call with analysts and reporters on Tuesday, Burke expressed confidence the The Voice would retain its momentum and become one of the network’s biggest hits this season, but then remarked, “I think Smash is more […]

NBC UNIVERSAL MAKES $1 BILLION THEME PARK DEAL

Steve Burke, who as a young Disney exec once told CEO Michael Eisner, “My dream job would be to run a theme park” — and then went on to run Euro Disney (now Disneyland Paris) — has now, as CEO of NBC Universal, concluded a deal to buy Blackstone Group’s 50-percent stake in Universal Orlando […]

NBC GETTING $200 MILLION FOR PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

Steve Burke, the new president of NBC Universal, will be pumping $200 million of mostly Comcast money into program development for the broadcast network in hopes of making it competitive again. As reported by today’s (Thursday) New York Post, most of those funds will go towards revamping the 10:00 p.m. time period, a period that […]

REPORT: EBERSOL AND COMCAST CLASH OVER OLYMPICS

NBC Sports and Olympics chief Dick Ebersol is locking horns with Comcast, NBC’s new owners, over the network’s bid for the 2014 and 2016 Olympics, the New York Post reported today (Tuesday). The newspaper quoted one source as saying, “This is a big test of what Dick’s role is.” Under previous owner GE, Ebersol had […]

MONEY-LOSING FOOTBALL, OLYMPICS IFFY ON NBC

On the day that Comcast reported fourth-quarter earnings that exceeded analysts’ expectations, the company indicated that it intended to institute some serious belt-tightening at its newly acquired NBC Universal subsidiary. In a conference call, Steve Burke, the new CEO of NBC Universal, said that for now, he intends on focusing on the profitable cable channels […]

IT’S OFFICIAL: GASPIN LEAVING NBC UNIVERSAL

Jeff Gaspin, the chairman of NBC Universal Entertainment, made it official late today: he’ll step down following the company’s merger with Comcast, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year or early next year. In a message to NBC staffers, Gaspin said: “During the course of the Comcast/GE merger, I’ve had […]

STEVE BURKE TO TAKE OVER AS HEAD OF NBC-UNIVERSAL

Comcast and GE made it official today (Sunday): Once their merger is completed, Comcast COO Steve Burke will take over as CEO of NBC Universal. It had been widely assumed that Burke, who is generally regarded as the prime architect of the merger, would be named to the top post of the media conglomerate. The […]

JEFF ZUCKER RECEIVES WALKING ORDERS

Jeff Zucker, the controversial NBC Universal CEO, has sent an email message to company employees announcing that he will be leaving the company after the completion of the Comcast takeover, expected by the end of the year. As reported by the New York Times, Zucker indicated that the decision was not his own and came […]