Jeff Zucker to End a Successful Career at NBC Universal Following Completion of Comcast Deal
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NBC Universal chief executive officer, Jeff Zucker told employees Friday that he will leave the company once the sale of the multifaceted media conglomerate to Comcast Corp. (NYSE: CMCSA) is completed later this year.
"It has been a great run and I've been incredibly fortunate," Zucker said in an e-mail the CEO sent to employees.
The change has been up in the air since Comcast agreed to buy a 51 percent stake in NBC Universal from General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE). The deal has not cleared regulatory hurdles but is expected to by the end of the year.
"Look, I knew from the day this was announced that this was a possibility," Zucker said. "I wasn't going to shut the door on anything. But in the last nine months it became increasingly clear that they did want to put their own team in place - and I didn't want to end up being a guest in my own house."
Zucker, 45, has been with NBC since 1986 when he was a researcher for the company’s coverage of the Olympics, before becoming the executive producer of the “Today” show before the age of 30. The show became highly profitable for the company.
"Sure, there have been ups and downs in the last quarter century," he said in his e-mail. "But when I step back and think about what we've been through, I feel nothing but pride and joy. It has been a great run and I've been incredibly fortunate."
Comcast has not been forthcoming with plans that it has for NBC Universal once it takes over, but a name that has surfaced to replace Zucker is Showtime’s programming chief, Robert Greenblatt, who stepped down when his contract ended this summer.
"It has been a great run and I've been incredibly fortunate," Zucker said in an e-mail the CEO sent to employees.
The change has been up in the air since Comcast agreed to buy a 51 percent stake in NBC Universal from General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE). The deal has not cleared regulatory hurdles but is expected to by the end of the year.
"Look, I knew from the day this was announced that this was a possibility," Zucker said. "I wasn't going to shut the door on anything. But in the last nine months it became increasingly clear that they did want to put their own team in place - and I didn't want to end up being a guest in my own house."
Zucker, 45, has been with NBC since 1986 when he was a researcher for the company’s coverage of the Olympics, before becoming the executive producer of the “Today” show before the age of 30. The show became highly profitable for the company.
"Sure, there have been ups and downs in the last quarter century," he said in his e-mail. "But when I step back and think about what we've been through, I feel nothing but pride and joy. It has been a great run and I've been incredibly fortunate."
Comcast has not been forthcoming with plans that it has for NBC Universal once it takes over, but a name that has surfaced to replace Zucker is Showtime’s programming chief, Robert Greenblatt, who stepped down when his contract ended this summer.
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