Suzanne Kolb tapped as president of E! channel

Marketing stylista Suzanne Kolb was named president of E! Entertainment, the Comcast Corp. cable channel that earlier this year joined the NBCUniversal constellation.

Kolb, a six-year veteran of the channel, previously served as head of marketing, news and digital entertainment for E! and the Style Network. The promotion was announced Thursday. Kolb now reports to Bonnie Hammer, chairwoman of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment.

"As a member of E!'s leadership team, Suzanne has played a pivotal role in getting the network to the great place it is today," Hammer said in a statement. "Her strong oversight of three areas key to E!'s success -- news, online and marketing -- makes her the perfect person to lead the brand through the important next phase of its evolution."

The company credits Kolb with helping shape E! into, in its words, a "top global entertainment news brand." She also was responsible for marketing and creative direction for some of the network's biggest hits, including the "Kardashians" franchise, "Chelsea Lately," "The Soup" and "Fashion Police."

"E! has enjoyed great success in the past but we're just getting started," Kolb said in a statement. Prior to joining E! in 2005, she was an executive vice president of marketing for the now defunct WB television network.

-- Meg James

Photo: Suzanne Kolb. Credit: E! Entertainment

NBCUniversal names Beth Roberts to key cable post

One of NBCUniversal's high-powered and well-respected business executives -- Beth Roberts -- has joined Team Hammer.

Roberts on Wednesday was named chief operating officer of Universal Cable Productions, reporting to Bonnie Hammer, chairman of NBCUniversal's Cable Entertainment and Cable Studios unit. Hammer has oversight of several of the media giant's cable channels including USA, Syfy and E!

The company said in a statement that Roberts will spearhead "the strategic and financial growth of Universal Cable Productions," in addition to overseeing business affairs for the cable channels controlled by Hammer.

Universal Cable Productions has been managed by a committee that includes Mark Stern and Jeff Wachtel, who share the title of co-head of original content; and Jerry DiCanio, head of production, and Roberts. Now she will be in charge of the studio's day-to-day operations.

"As a business affairs executive, Beth has always struck a perfect balance between strategic vision and fiscal discipline," Hammer said in the statement.  "That's exactly what we need to take UCP to the next level, so Beth's new role is an ideal expansion of her responsibilities."

Previously, Roberts served as executive vice president of business affairs for NBCUniversal's large cable portfolio.  Comcast, which took over NBCUniversal in late January, divided the cable properties into two groups, one overseen by Hammer, the longtime head of USA Network and Syfy, and the other group managed by Lauren Zalaznick, who has been responsible for Bravo. Zalaznick was given the more eclectic group, which includes Comcast's digital properties like Fandango and Daily Candy, and Spanish-language network Telemundo.

-- Meg James

Photo of Beth Roberts courtesy of NBCUniversal

 

Comcast to invest additional $300 million for NBCUniversal programming

Comcast Corp. this year plans to spend $300 million more for television programming to revive the ailing NBC broadcast network and keep the company's cable channels humming.

NBCUniversal Chief Executive Steve Burke on Wednesday renewed Comcast's long-standing pledge to invest millions of dollars more for television programming than had General Electric Co. Comcast became the majority owner of NBCUniversal in late January, and now GE is the minority partner.

During a conference call with analysts to discuss Comcast's first-quarter earnings, Burke said the company would spend $200 million more this year on prime-time shows to try to give the cellar-dwelling NBC network a lift in the ratings. The Philadelphia-based cable giant also plans to pump in an additional $100 million on programming for the company's profitable cable networks -- including USA, Syfy, E! and Bravo -- to keep the channels at the top of their game. 

Much of the $200 million destined for NBC is to restock the 10 p.m. time slot with scripted shows after the previous regime's debacle of placing Jay Leno in prime time for four months in 2009 and early 2010.  More than a year later, NBC continues to struggle to regain its footing with dramas and comedies at 10 p.m.

"The real key to turning around NBC is not necessarily increasing the investment. The real key is making better shows," Burke said. 

This spring, NBC ordered 21 pilots -- about the same as a year ago, when the network began trying to dig out from the Leno disaster. Burke said he and other company leaders will soon screen NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt's first slate of prime-time programming. NBC plans to unveil its fall schedule in New York on May 16. 

For the quarter ended March 31, NBC broadcast revenue of $1.35 billion was down 35%, primarily due to lower advertising sales. In the first quarter of 2010, NBC's top line was inflated with $782 million in revenue from its coverage of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.

Analysts wanted to know whether a Comcast-run NBCUniversal would spend wildly to retain its sports franchises, including the Olympics. NBCUniversal ended up losing $223 million on its coverage of the Vancouver games, an embarrassment for GE and a financial miscalculation that few want to see repeated.

NBC also loses more than $100 million a year on its NFL "Sunday Night Football" contract.

But Burke refused to reveal that page of his playbook.

"We're in business to make money, and our approach is going to be disciplined," Burke said.  "As it relates to the Olympics or the NFL, we think those are two fantastic properties and would love to have them, but we would like to make money. ... At the end of the day, we are not going to do anything that doesn't have a business plan that pencils out."  

Comcast also separately reported the financial results of its Los Angeles-based Universal Pictures' unit. For the first quarter, the studio brought in $975 million in revenue, an 8% decline from the year-earlier period. The studio's losses were due to increased marketing costs for its upcoming films, lower DVD sales and some duds at the box office.

"We are well aware of the challenges in the film business, and the fact that the DVD business has declined," Burke said.  "But part of it is that we need to make better films -- and that's a real area of focus for us as well."

-- Meg James

Photo: NBCUniversal Chief Executive Steve Burke. Credit Joe Corrigan / Getty Images

Fights between programmers and distributors heat up as 2011 nears

We've seen this movie before. The programmer says it isn't getting paid enough for its programming. The cable operator says it already pays too much and, given the tough economy, now is not the time to be asking for more money. The two sides bicker back and forth and take out ads accusing the other of negotiating in bad faith. Eventually, local and national politicians jump into the fray, and then at the last minute a deal is reached.

As the end of the year approaches, there are several skirmishes going on between programmers and distributors that will hit full boil when the clock strikes 2011. It isn't just broadcast networks and local TV stations in these feuds. Viacom, parent of cable channels MTV and Nickelodeon, is in an ugly fight with Suddenlink, a large cable operator with systems in Texas, Louisiana and West Virginia. Comcast's E! and Style Network are in danger of being dropped by satellite broadcaster Dish Network, and its Golf Channel could be dropped by DirecTV. 

The battle everyone is watching is between Sinclair Broadcast Group and Time Warner Cable. Sinclair owns almost 60 television stations across the country, including 20 Fox affiliates. Its stations are carried by Time Warner Cable systems that serve 8.5 million consumers.

Both sides have stopped talking. Earlier in the week, Sinclair said Time Warner Cable rejected an offer to continue carrying its stations for an additional 10 cents per subscriber per month. Unfortunately, neither Sinclair nor Time Warner will say what the total cost of carriage on a per-subscriber basis would be with that additional 10 cents. Given all the heated rhetoric, it seems safe to say it is an increase that would put the cost over 25 cents per subscriber and perhaps even north of 50 cents, with annual increases included as well. 

What makes this dispute worth paying attention to over the others is the behind-the-scenes role that News Corp.'s Fox Broadcasting Co. is playing. Earlier this year, Fox struck a deal for its own TV stations with Time Warner Cable. As part of that pact, there is a clause that allows Time Warner Cable to purchase Fox programming should the cable operator lose the rights to carry the signals of a Fox affiliate.

Fox says it agreed to the clause so consumers wouldn't lose its programming as a result of negotiations gone awry. "Our goal is to protect Fox viewers from any service interruptions, allow our affiliate partners to reap their local ad dollars and continue to negotiate a retransmission agreement without deadline pressure," Scott Grogin, a Fox spokesman has said.  "We also believe that‪ the deal provides significant incentive to both sides to come to an agreement that protects consumers."

Some affiliates think that Fox is meddling and undercutting its own partners. Barry Faber, the general counsel for Sinclair, said earlier this month that Fox's deal with Time Warner Cable "makes it more difficult to negotiate for retransmission consent if your network has provided the cable company an alternative way to receive the feed."

Fox has an interest in seeing Sinclair get as much money as it can from Time Warner Cable because it, like other broadcast networks, wants a cut of any fees their affiliate partners get from cable and satellite operators.

With that in mind, Sinclair and other Fox affiliates are wondering why the network would agree to something that could potentially take away the leverage their affiliates need to cut the best possible deal.

Given that Fox does provide prime-time programming and big sporting events too, it is not surprising that it would want some of that money.

But Fox is asking its affiliates for a big chunk of their so-called retransmission consent revenues, according to industry executives familiar with the situation. That, in turn, is putting pressure on the affiliates to squeeze the cable operators.

Of course, in the end, we all know who will get squeezed the most.

-- Joe Flint

Related posts:

Fox clause is focal point of Sinclair-Time Warner Cable fight

Fox explains its role in Time Warner Cable fight with Sinclair

Comcast unveils management team for NBC Universal

Comcast unveiled its new executive lineup for NBC Universal on Thursday morning, ending months of anticipation and executive jockeying. Although Comcast has its new team in position, it must now wait until federal regulators approve the cable company's deal to take over NBC Universal, and that is not expected until late this year or early next year.

Comcast Chief Operating Officer Steve Burke, who will run NBC Universal after the deal closes, has created a layered structure with six executives holding the title of chairman. 

"For nearly a year, we have worked hard to identify people from NBC Universal, Comcast and outside the two companies to form our new leadership team when the deal closes.  Our goal has been to find people who have the skill sets we need to succeed and who reflect the values that will be the hallmark of NBC Universal, including teamwork, integrity, creativity and a commitment to treating people the right way," Steve Burke said in a statement. 

"We have also been very focused on putting in place the best possible organizational structure.  To that end, we have created some new positions, changed the scope of others and shifted some reporting assignments.  We think we’ve developed a structure that organizes the company in the smartest way possible," he said.

The proposed structure, with more than 10 people reporting to him, ensures that Burke will be a hands-on manager, involved in decisions large and small. Burke will serve as chief executive officer, replacing Jeff Zucker, who announced in September that he would step down when Comcast took over.

As expected, former Showtime President Robert Greenblatt will become chairman of NBC Entertainment, responsible for all aspects of prime-time and late-night programming, business affairs, West Coast research, marketing, public relations, scheduling and NBC Universal's television production studio. Marc Graboff and Angela Bromstad will report to Greenblatt.

Ted Harbert, who currently runs Comcast's entertainment channels, including E!, will become chairman of NBC Broadcasting.  He will take charge of advertising sales, NBC affiliate relations, companywide research, domestic television syndication and the NBC TV station group.  Alan Wurtzel, Barry Wallach, Vivi Zigler and John Wallace will report to Harbert.

Bonnie Hammer assumes control of the soon-to-be-merged company's most profitable enterprises. She becomes chairman of the NBC Universal Cable Entertainment and Cable Studios. Hammer will continue to oversee the USA and Syfy channels, and she will take on responsibility for E! Entertainment, G4, Chiller, Sleuth, Universal HD and Universal Cable Productions.   

Lauren Zalaznick's portfolio also expanded enormously. She becomes chairwoman of NBC Universal Entertainment and Digital Networks. Bravo, Oxygen and the website iVillage will continue to report to Zalaznick, and she will oversee strategic marketing initiatives, including Green is Universal.  Zalaznick picks such digital properties as Daily Candy, Fandango, Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo and the cable networks Style, mun2 and PBS Sprout.

Dick Ebersol becomes chairman of the NBC Sports Group, responsible for NBC Sports, the Golf Channel, Versus and the Comcast Regional Sports Networks. 

Ron Meyer retains his turf as president and chief operating officer of Universal Studios. Adam Fogelson will continue as chairman of Universal Pictures, and Tom Williams will be in charge of Universal's parks and resorts.

Steve Capus continues as president of NBC News and MSNBC.  Mark Hoffman continues as president of CNBC.

Jeff Shell joins NBC Universal from Comcast to become chairman of NBC Universal International. He will be based in London.

Pat Fili-Krushel will join NBC Universal from Time Warner Inc. with a broad portfolio, including business strategy, human resources and legal.

Lynn Calpeter continues as NBC Universal's chief financial officer.  Rick Cotton continues as NBC Universal general counsel and will report to both Burke and Fili-Krushel.  Salil Mehta continues as president of business operations and strategy and will report to Fili-Krushel.  Former KNBC Channel 4 General Manager Paula Madison will continue to serve as executive vice president of diversity. John Eck continues in his role as president of NBC Media Works.

Longtime Comcast communications advisor Adam Miller will join NBC Universal as executive vice president for corporate affairs. The communications department will report to Miller, who currently works at Abernathy MacGregor Group.  Page Thompson will join NBC Universal from Comcast as executive vice president of strategic integration and be charged with identifying synergy opportunities among Comcast, NBC, Universal Studios, theme parks and cable channels.

Matt Bond will join NBC Universal from Comcast as executive vice president for content distribution. Two influential NBC Universal executives, Bridget Baker and J.B. Perrette, will report to Bond.

Advertising sales are split between Comcast executive Dave Cassaro, who becomes president of cable advertising sales, and Marianne Gambelli, who will become president of NBC Network Advertising. The former chief of ad sales and longtime General Electric executive, Mike Pilot, will leave the company.  

Jeff Gaspin, who has been in charge of NBC Universal's television channels since July 2009, will stay on during the transition period.  He and Burke discussed scenarios for Gaspin to remain at the company, but the two men could not agree on a suitable role.  Burke said communications chief Allison Gollust also will step down when Comcast takes over.  

"While this announcement provides some clarity to some roles and responsibilities," Burke said, "it is only the first in what will be a series of milestones as we move into 2011."

Now, the intrigue shifts from the question of which executives will survive the cut to speculation about when Comcast will get the keys to the prominent media company.

The U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission continues to weigh the merger between Comcast and NBC Universal, currently owned by General Electric Co.  Most observers expect the government to attach several conditions before giving its blessing to the high-profile marriage. Comcast hopes the deal will close by year's end, but Washington insiders speculate that regulatory approval might come during the first quarter of 2011.

-- Meg James

Photo: Comcast's Steve Burke. Credit: Comcast.

Lady Gaga wants her E!

Remember when Viacom's MTV Network was the place to see all hot new music videos? No? Apparently Lady Gaga doesn't either.

That must be why she opted to premiere her latest music video, an almost 10-minute extravaganza featuring Beyonce, on Comcast's E! cable network on Thursday night. The video, which is for her song "Telephone," was directed by Jonas Åkerlund but seems inspired by Quentin Tarentino with a healthy dose of Michael Jackson's "Bad" thrown in as well. There are lots of shots of leggy women in high heels and plenty of prison fights. In between the blood, sexual innuendo and even a joke about recent rumors that Lady Gaga is packing a little something extra, there are plugs for Virgin Mobile and the online dating site Plenty of Fish.

For E!, landing the premiere of Lady Gaga's video is a big coup. The network, known primarily as home for  reality shows featuring the Kardashian family and for its award show fashion coverage, is on a push to become even more ingrained in more mainstream pop culture and not just be known for tawdry reality fare. That said, its next big project is "Pretty Wild," a reality show about three Southern California sisters, one of whom has been accused of being part of the "bling ring," a teen gang that was robbing the homes of Hollywood celebrities. 

E!'s premiere of Lady Gaga's "Telephone" video averaged 833,000 viewers, up 32% from what the cable network usually averages in that time slot. Among adults 18-49, the audience grew by 37%. If you missed the video, E! also has it on its website. It might not be safe for work though.

By the way, you can still find videos on MTV. They usually run them between 3 and 9 a.m.

-- Joe Flint

Photo credit: Interscope Records