Newly installed NBC Universal chief Jeff Zucker announced his new cabinet Thursday, promoting three executives in a realignment of the conglomerate's television and digital operations.
Beth Comstock, Marc Graboff and Jeff Gaspin are all taking on additional responsibilities under Zucker, who was appointed NBC Uni president and CEO this month by parent company General Electric. He succeeds Bob Wright, who continues as vice chairman at GE.
While Graboff remains president of NBC Uni Television, West Coast, his area of responsibility now expands to all aspects of NBC's entertainment division, the television studio and the marketing division. NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly, NBC Uni TV Studio president Angela Bromstad and NBC Agency president/chief marketing officer John Miller now report solely to Graboff -- instead of a split line of reporting to Graboff in business-related matters and Zucker on creative and programming concerns.
Comstock, previously president of digital media and market development, has shifted to the new position of president of integrated media, where she will extend her oversight to advertising sales.
Gaspin, whose title was president of cable entertainment, digital content and cross-network strategy, is now president of cable and digital content.
"With my new responsibilities, I am making some organizational adjustments to set us up for continued momentum and growth," Zucker said. "Fortunately, we have a tremendous bench of skilled executives."
The structural changes reflect more than Zucker reassigning his responsibilities at NBC Uni TV. The division was hit with a string of defections by senior execs late last year, including president and COO Randy Falco, who left to run AOL; David Zaslav, president of cable, domestic TV and new-media distribution, who left to run Discovery Communications; and president of advertising sales Keith Turner. Moreover, the conglomerate continues to adjust to advances in digital media while rebounding from broad cuts to its work force announced last year.
Comstock, who was considered a potential rival to Zucker for the top job when she came over from GE in December 2005, will now report to him with digital media and ad sales under her belt.
Beth Comstock, Marc Graboff and Jeff Gaspin are all taking on additional responsibilities under Zucker, who was appointed NBC Uni president and CEO this month by parent company General Electric. He succeeds Bob Wright, who continues as vice chairman at GE.
While Graboff remains president of NBC Uni Television, West Coast, his area of responsibility now expands to all aspects of NBC's entertainment division, the television studio and the marketing division. NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly, NBC Uni TV Studio president Angela Bromstad and NBC Agency president/chief marketing officer John Miller now report solely to Graboff -- instead of a split line of reporting to Graboff in business-related matters and Zucker on creative and programming concerns.
Comstock, previously president of digital media and market development, has shifted to the new position of president of integrated media, where she will extend her oversight to advertising sales.
Gaspin, whose title was president of cable entertainment, digital content and cross-network strategy, is now president of cable and digital content.
"With my new responsibilities, I am making some organizational adjustments to set us up for continued momentum and growth," Zucker said. "Fortunately, we have a tremendous bench of skilled executives."
The structural changes reflect more than Zucker reassigning his responsibilities at NBC Uni TV. The division was hit with a string of defections by senior execs late last year, including president and COO Randy Falco, who left to run AOL; David Zaslav, president of cable, domestic TV and new-media distribution, who left to run Discovery Communications; and president of advertising sales Keith Turner. Moreover, the conglomerate continues to adjust to advances in digital media while rebounding from broad cuts to its work force announced last year.
Comstock, who was considered a potential rival to Zucker for the top job when she came over from GE in December 2005, will now report to him with digital media and ad sales under her belt.
- 2/16/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
NEW YORK -- Observers have no doubt that General Electric chairman and CEO Jeffrey Immelt was a driving force behind the appointment of Jeff Zucker to the top management post at NBC Universal as the GE boss continues to put his stamp on the entertainment unit.
But what are Immelt's visions for NBC Uni and his expectations of the man who becomes only its second-ever leader?
Digital growth, focus and assertiveness in a fast-changing industry -- as well as continued financial improvements -- are what Immelt, 50, likes about Zucker and expects him to deliver, according to the executives involved and Wall Street and industry sources.
More bluntly, some said to Immelt, Zucker represents the melding of a culture of creativity and the hard-driving GE culture that's focused on performance.
Immelt's presence at NBC Uni has been felt much in recent months, with a GE-style management restructuring occurring late last year and a handful of executives, like new NBC Uni CFO Lynn Calpeter and digital-media chief Beth Comstock, moving from GE to key positions at NBC Uni.
Then in December, Immelt tapped equipment finance division president Michael Pilot to replace network ad sales president Keith Turner. Pilot's appointment was a marked shift from the old-school, TV-based approach that had ruled at NBC for generations; it showed that Immelt and GE want new blood and new ideas at 30 Rock.
It's not unlike 1986, when then-GE executive Wright was appointed to lead NBC by GE chairman and CEO Jack Welch.
Under Wright's leadership, NBC's and later NBC Uni's revenue grew from $3 billion in 1986 to more than $16 billion in 2006, the company noted Tuesday. He transformed a broadcast network into a diversified media and entertainment company, leading in 2004 to NBC's acquisition of Vivendi Universal Entertainment.
Observers said that Immelt truly appreciates Wright's work and friendship but felt it was time for a younger executive to take over.
Immelt told reporters during a conference call Tuesday that he has watched Zucker for five years.
But what are Immelt's visions for NBC Uni and his expectations of the man who becomes only its second-ever leader?
Digital growth, focus and assertiveness in a fast-changing industry -- as well as continued financial improvements -- are what Immelt, 50, likes about Zucker and expects him to deliver, according to the executives involved and Wall Street and industry sources.
More bluntly, some said to Immelt, Zucker represents the melding of a culture of creativity and the hard-driving GE culture that's focused on performance.
Immelt's presence at NBC Uni has been felt much in recent months, with a GE-style management restructuring occurring late last year and a handful of executives, like new NBC Uni CFO Lynn Calpeter and digital-media chief Beth Comstock, moving from GE to key positions at NBC Uni.
Then in December, Immelt tapped equipment finance division president Michael Pilot to replace network ad sales president Keith Turner. Pilot's appointment was a marked shift from the old-school, TV-based approach that had ruled at NBC for generations; it showed that Immelt and GE want new blood and new ideas at 30 Rock.
It's not unlike 1986, when then-GE executive Wright was appointed to lead NBC by GE chairman and CEO Jack Welch.
Under Wright's leadership, NBC's and later NBC Uni's revenue grew from $3 billion in 1986 to more than $16 billion in 2006, the company noted Tuesday. He transformed a broadcast network into a diversified media and entertainment company, leading in 2004 to NBC's acquisition of Vivendi Universal Entertainment.
Observers said that Immelt truly appreciates Wright's work and friendship but felt it was time for a younger executive to take over.
Immelt told reporters during a conference call Tuesday that he has watched Zucker for five years.
Peter Naylor has been named head of NBC Universal Digital Media Sales, the company said Tuesday. Naylor will be responsible for overseeing digital media sales throughout the company. He will report to Beth Comstock, president of digital media and market development at NBC Universal, and Keith Turner, president of sales and marketing at NBC Universal. Naylor was senior vp sales at iVillage, NBC Uni's Internet community hub that the company completed acquisition of in May.
- 6/21/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.