NBC late-night executive shuffle; Paul Telegdy replaces chief

Rick Ludwin, the NBC executive who oversaw two of the biggest seismic shifts in late-night television, is stepping down.

NBC announced Thursday that it had promoted Paul Telegdy -- a former BBC America executive who nurtured NBC's biggest hit of the year, "The Voice" -- to the newly created position of president of alternative and late-night programming. 

The move continues NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt's dramatic management shake-up of the peacock network since joining the company in January.

“Paul is an exemplary executive who has tremendous creative vision in the area of unscripted programming, which makes him perfect for this expanded role,” Greenblatt said in a statement. He credited Telegdy with the continued ratings success of such unscripted programs as "The Voice,"  "America’s Got Talent," "The Biggest Loser"  and "Celebrity Apprentice."

Ludwin, who has been an NBC executive for 31 years, will transition from his current position overseeing late night to becoming a consultant for NBC. 

Ludwin was running the late-night block in 1993 when NBC picked Jay Leno over David Letterman to become host of the storied "The Tonight Show" when Johnny Carson retired. It was a monumental shift that divided the network's executives because many backed Letterman (who defected to CBS).

Ultimately, the move paid off.

Two of the more recent late-night switches have proved more treacherous. Conan O'Brien's tenure succeeding Leno as host of "The Tonight Show" lasted just seven months. Leno moved to an ill-fated 10 p.m. variety show that also bombed, and NBC pulled him back to late night to lift the sagging ratings there, prompting O'Brien to leave the network. Leno's contract with NBC extends another two years.

There has been one sunny spot. NBC's late-night host Jimmy Fallon has scored high marks with critics and viewers.

"I couldn't have asked for or imagined a more rewarding job than the one I've had at NBC,” Ludwin said in the NBC statement. “To have been a part of TV history with ‘Seinfeld,’ our late-night franchises, ‘Saturday Night Live’ and with all our producers, writers and talent has been unbelievable. Since I was a kid it was a dream of mine to work at NBC. I got to do it and continue to be grateful."

Before joining NBC, Telegdy, 40, was executive vice president of sales, content and production for BBC Worldwide America. While working at BBC Productions in Los Angeles, he helped develop "Dancing with the Stars," which has become one of television's biggest hits.

He graduated with honors from the University of London with a degree in Korean and Japanese.

-- Meg James

Photo of Paul Telegdy / Credit:  NBC

Can Conan O'Brien bring his Twitter audience to TBS?

Conan O'Brien has almost 2 million followers on Twitter. Can he get that many people to watch his new late-night show, which premieres tonight on TBS?

Over the weekend, O'Brien himself was wondering just that in his own sarcastic way. He tweeted: "48 hours until a show that will either blow up the paradigm of TV as we know it, or nestle comfortably among 'Yes, Dear' reruns."

It's been only 10 months since O'Brien walked away as host of NBC's "Tonight Show" and Jay Leno took back the job. Since then, he's grown a beard, gone on a tour, made lots of fun of NBC and inspired yet another book about late-night TV from New York Times reporter Bill Carter.

At NBC, O'Brien was averaging 2.6 million viewers a night, which wasn't enough to keep him in the job. This season, Jay Leno is averaging 3.64 million viewers; CBS' David Letterman, 3.57 million; and ABC's Jimmy Kimmel, 1.71 million.

The numbers from O'Brien's first week won't really be an accurate predictor of how he'll do over the long run. TBS has been promoting the heck out of the show, and some predictions are for as many as 4 million viewers to tune in Monday night. His guests are actor Seth Rogen and "Glee" star Lea Michele.

But that may be optimistic. Brad Adgate of Horizon Media thinks O'Brien should draw the same number of viewers he had at NBC, for about 2.6 million viewers his first night, and stay north of 2 million for the week.

As he settles in, though, the viewers tuning in out of mere curiosity will start to fade and TBS will get a better sense of whether O'Brien will deliver numbers on par with his broadcast rivals or whether the network will have some explaining to do to all the advertisers that bought time on the show. TBS has boasted that it is getting the same amount of money for a 30-second spot -- $30,000 to $40,000 --  that NBC and CBS command.

If advertisers are paying that much for the show, then O'Brien will need to do more than keep pace with Jon Stewart on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show." This year, "The Daily Show" has averaged averaged 2.1 million viewers.

If O'Brien doesn't deliver, you never know -- TBS could decide to put George Lopez on in the 10 p.m. hour in front of him.

-- Joe Flint

Photo: Conan O'Brien. Credit: Evan Agostini / Associated Press

NBC Universal Chief Jeff Zucker resigns

NBC Universal Chief Executive Jeff Zucker said Friday that he would be stepping down as soon as the merger between Comcast and NBC Universal was completed, which is expected later this year.

Zucker made the announcement to his staff in New York on Friday morning, and it was first reported by the New York Times. The move was not entirely unexpected because Comcast, which will own the majority stake of the combined entity, has made it clear that Comcast Chief Operating Officer Steve Burke would be in charge of NBC Universal. The timing of the announcement, however, was sooner than most people had figured.

Behind the scenes for the last few weeks, Zucker and his bosses at General Electric Co., which currently owns NBC Universal, have been tussling over when Burke would unveil his plans for a new organizational structure -- which presumably would not include Zucker.

Zucker, who rose to prominence as the youngest-ever executive producer of the "Today" show and spent four years running the company's entertainment operation in Burbank, took over the entire company in 2007. 

It was a tumultuous reign. Although Zucker energized the company, moved NBC Universal into the digital age and was a key architect of the online video website Hulu, he badly misfired by hiring an inexperienced independent TV producer, Ben Silverman, to be in charge of programming for the NBC network.

His risky and well-publicized move to shift "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno to a 10 p.m. program severely damaged NBC's prime-time schedule and seriously affected the finances of NBC affiliate TV stations, which rely on the late local news for much of their revenue.

Earlier this year, Zucker's plan to move Leno back to late night infuriated Conan O'Brien, who had been given the "Tonight Show," and led to a protracted separation that played out like a soap opera on late-night TV.  

Zucker sent this e-mail to his staff:

Well, the time has come. This time, to tell you a little news about me.

When Comcast assumes control of NBC Universal, I will leave the company.

It has not been an easy or simple decision. I have spent my entire adult life here, more than 24 years. This is the only place I have ever worked. The only professional thing I have ever known. I met my wife here, enjoyed the birth of our four children in that time, worked in almost every division of the company. And forged relationships, both professional and personal, that will last a lifetime.

I remember, vividly, the first day I came to work here in August, 1986. I walked to work at 30 Rockefeller Plaza that day; it was humid and my shirt was soaking by the time I got there. In the years since, I have enjoyed nothing but sheer pleasure in having the names NBC and Universal on my business cards. Sure, there have been ups and downs in the last quarter century. 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.

Now, it is clear to me that this is the right decision for me and for the company. Comcast will be a great new steward, just as GE has been, and they deserve the chance to implement their own vision.

I am proud that they will inherit a company in very good shape, with almost every one of our divisions enjoying their best year ever. The current strength of the company is a tribute to every one of you and the terrific leadership team that is in place.

We'll talk more about the shape of the company in the months ahead. For now, I just wanted you to know my plans. I won't be going anywhere until the day the deal closes, and that day is still months away. There is plenty left to do, and we have an obligation to each other to maintain what we have already built. I will continue to approach everything we do with the long-term interest of the company in mind, just as I always have; I know no other way.

I don't yet know what my future will bring. I've spent the last 24 years thinking only about NBC Universal, and never contemplated anything else. I haven't even begun to think about the next chapter. But I wanted to be honest with you about this news as soon as I could.

I love NBC Universal. And always will. And I am grateful to each of you.

My most heartfelt thanks.

Jeff

 

-- Meg James

Photo: Jeff Zucker. Credit: Justin Lane/EPA. 

The Morning Fix: Google is coming for your TV! CBS has passage to India. BermanBraun rakes in some new dollars. Morty's back in late night.

After the coffee. Before yet another flight to New York. And in August no less.

Google is coming! Google is coming! Search giant Google is getting serious about its small-screen aspirations. The company has been meeting with broadcast and cable networks to try to get access to their content for its new Google TV application that will allow consumers to watch TV through the Web. Of course content providers want to make sure they a) get paid for their programming and b) don't alienate the cable and satellite distributors who already carry their channels. Google's real aim to is to get more ad dollars and leave Apple's television aspirations in the dust. More on Google's big push and what the challenges will be from the Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal.

What's a million dollars between friends? Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. made headlines this week for its $1-million donation to the Republican Governors Assn. This, of course, gave fuel to the left to take shots at Murdoch's Fox News operation. Washington Post media columnist Howard Kurtz, who also works for Fox News rival CNN, followed up on Tuesday's story on this from Politico. A News Corp. spokesman told Kurtz that it is "patently false" that a donation by News Corp. would somehow influence coverage at Fox News. By the way, lots of media companies give money to political causes. The New York Times also weighed in with a article on Rupert's largess. 

Really, it'll happen. Variety checks on Disney's deal to sell Miramax to Ron Tutor, the big-shot construction guy (sorry, I'm tired of saying "construction magnate") and says that although the pact was announced weeks ago, the financing is still not nailed down. The deadline to close is Sept. 7, and odds seem long that it will be met. Of course, Disney could extend it or go back on the market and see if Miramax founders Bob and Harvey Weinstein want to make one more run. 

A passage to India. CBS and India's Reliance Broadcast Network Limited announced early Wednesday morning their plans to launch a joint venture that will create three English-language television channels. The networks, which will launch later this year, will feature both current CBS content and library fare as well. CBS becomes the latest U.S. media company to try to build a presence in India. Here's an early take from the Hollywood Reporter and an old story about the talks from the Wall Street Journal, just to bring you up to speed.

Morty's back. Veteran producer Robert "Morty" Morton is coming back to late night as the show runner for TBS' "Lopez Tonight." Morton was the longtime executive producer for David Letterman. The move comes as Lopez prepares for his show to relocate to midnight to make room for Conan O'Brien. Details from Broadcasting & Cable. 

Read at your own risk. The Wrap says it has come across an e-mail with details of what is in development at Paramount Pictures. Among the projects are a Will Smith movie from director Kathryn Bigelow and a comedy starring Seth Rogen and Barbra Streisand. Paramount told the Wrap that some of the material in the e-mail is right and some it is wrong.

Digital dollars. BermanBraun, the entertainment company headed by former TV big shots Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun, has roped in $100 million in advertising commitments from Starcom, a big agency whose clients include Procter & Gamble and Wal-Mart. The money is for BermanBraun's digital operations, including its websites Wonderwall and Glo. The New York Times, which always seems to have the inside scoop on these guys, has the story, as does the Wall Street Journal blog All Things D. They can flip a coin to decide which one was fed this first. 

Turner on a roll. "Rizzoli & Isles," the female detective drama featuring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander, is the latest hit for TNT. Although it has hardly been a critical smash, it is drawing big audiences and proves that there is a big appetite for what Ad Age calls "meat and potatoes"-type programming. Variety also weighs in on a piece about cable's hot summer.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: Dr. Laura says goodbye to radio. Just because the star leaves, that doesn't mean the show can't go on. Haim Saban buys Julius the Monkey.

-- Joe Flint

Follow me on Twitter. I've been known to tweet from airplanes. Twitter.com/JBFlint

Time Warner earnings improve on ad growth, including first sales for Conan O'Brien

Conan O'Brien hasn't even started appearing on TBS and parent company Time Warner is already bragging about his impact on its bottom line. Although O'Brien's late-night show doesn't premiere on the cable network until November, advertising sales for the show are brisk, Chief Executive Jeff Bewkes said Wednesday.

"We saw strong demand for Conan O’Brien," he said on a conference call with analysts to discuss the company's second quarter earnings, adding that the late-night host's upcoming show was drawing an ad rate per thousand viewers similar to what he attracted on NBC.

The media giant, whose holdings include TBS, TNT, CNN, HBO and Time Inc., said second quarter net income rose 7% to $562 million in the quarter ended June 30 compared with the same period a year ago. Revenues were up 8% to $6.4 billion. Time Warner credited a strong advertising market. Ad revenue was up 14% at the Turner networks, the biggest such increase in six years.

Total revenue for Time Warner's networks group, which includes the pay cable HBO, increased 11% to $3.17 billion. Ad revenue wasn't the only growth engine. There was a 9% increase in subscriptions to $1.85 billion, the fees paid by cable and satellite operators to carry Time Warner's cable channels. Operating income grew 14% to $981 million.

Bewkes told analysts that his company has seen significant increases both in the upfront, when advertisers buy time in advance of the new season, and the scatter market, when they purchase time piecemeal during the season.

Chief Financial Officer John Martin said it's unclear how long the recent ad growth can last. "While it may be difficult for us to maintain quite the pace of this quarter's growth, we do expect another quarter of strong advertising growth in the third quarter," he said.

The conglomerate's film and TV studio Warner Bros. was the one division to see a slight drop in adjusted operating income, to $173 million from $176 million, though revenue grew 8% to $2.5 billion. The studio saw higher costs for production and advertising in the quarter ended June 30 and had some box-office disappointments in "Jonah Hex" and "The Losers." Home video revenue was down 8%, Martin said, but revenue from digital distribution grew by a sizable 50% and now represents nearly 20% of the studio's total home video pie.

In response to an analyst's question, Bewkes said Warner Bros. has seen a positive impact on DVD sales and video on demand from the deals it struck with Redbox and Netflix to hold back its movies from being available for rental through those services until 28 days after they launch. However, other studios that offer their movies via Redbox's $1 per night kiosks and Netflix's subscription service at the same time they go on sale, such as Paramount Pictures, have said they have seen opposite results.

Time Warner stock was trading up less than 1% at $32.55 after financial results were released Wednesday morning.

-- Ben Fritz

Photo: Jeff Bewkes. Credit: Jonathan Ernst / Reuters.

Telemundo: Would you like to buy a chunky bracelet through your tears?

Spanish-language telenovela audiences are known for their loyalty and passion.

Now the Spanish-language Telemundo network is hoping that viewers' desire for their nightly dose of TV drama will translate into jewelry sales.  Thursday, the NBC Universal-owned television network launched a website, telemundojewelry.com to hawk bracelets, necklaces, rings and earrings sported by characters on Telemundo's prime-time soap operas, called telenovelas, including "El Clon" (The Clone) and "Donde Esta Elisa?" (Where Is Elisa?).

English-language networks have been unable to muster audiences that tune in night after night to watch the latest installment of the same prime-time program.  But Spanish-language networks, including Telemundo's competitor Univision, frequently command the rapt attention of their viewers, some of whom would love to lead the exciting lives that they see portrayed on the small screen -- righting cultural injustice, engaging in star-crossed love affairs with hunky hombres and, of course, wearing fabuloso clothes and jewelry.

Now viewers can buy the Telemundo jewelry online and, later this year, in retail stores. Prices range from $9.99 for earrings to more than $150 for necklaces and bracelets.

NBC for years has tried to cash in on the popularity of its shows, offering "The Office"-themed Dwight Schrute bobblehead dolls, "Today" show cooking aprons and, until recently, Conan O'Brien-inspired "Pale Force" lunchboxes  (NBC Universal's merchandise website says the lunchboxes, marked down from $15 to $6.97, are "currently sold out.")

The Telemundo jewelry line, an initiative of Telemundo President Don Browne and Executive Vice President of Emerging Businesses Peter Blacker, is offered in association with NBC Universal's consumer products group; Big Tent Entertainment; fashion designer Udi Behr, who selected the initial collection of jewelry; and the Richline Group Inc.,  a wholly-owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., a major jewelry manufacturer and importer of gold jewelry. 

We're not sure this is what Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and Chief Executive Warren Buffett had in mind when he helped NBC Universal parent company General Electric Co. out of its financial jam nearly two years ago with a $3-billion investment in GE. But it probably didn't hurt.

-- Meg James

Photo Credits: NBC Universal. Pictured are "El Clon" bronze-colored bracelet with turquoise stones (upper right) and the discontinued Conan O'Brien Pale Force lunch box (lower left).