
We've talked a lot on bizofshowbiz about the changes that would have to come to NBC, as corporate parent General Electric (GE) wasn't going to allow things to sit as they were with the company having settled into a perennial fourth-place finisher among the major networks.
Word is that Kevin Reilly is now officially relieved of his duties as NBC Entertainment President. It looks like the contract that had just been reward him a couple of months ago has been taken care of as well. Reportedly replacing Reilly will be producer Ben Silverman, although that hasn't been absolutely confirmed yet. Marc Graboff will head up the operations part of the unit.
I wasn't sure who it was that was going to be out at the network, although I
didn't think it would be Zucker yet.
But when you consider there is really nothing in the pipeline for next season, something had to be done. The only thing that may stir up some interest is the new spin-off from "Heroes."
In reference to how long Jeff Immelt will allow this to go on, I think maybe one more year. If the next season remains mired down in last place with no movement forward and nothing set up for the future like it is now, there will be an increasing pressure from shareholders to dump the network from the General Electric portfolio of companies.
NBC does account for about 10 percent of the total revenue for GE, but it's holding the stock back in the eyes of many people, who are beginning to push GE leadership to do something to get the stock moving again. NBC is in the crosshairs of that concern more than anything else.








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