Comcast announces executives to helm post-merger NBCU

Former Showtime boss Robert Greenblatt - who has been associated with the shows Dexter and Weeds and the mini-series Sleeper Cell - has been tapped by Comcast Corp. to fix the deeply troubled NBC broadcast-TV network.

Comcast officials say they believe Greenblatt is a "big get" because of his experience at Showtime, a division of CBS, and Fox.

Yanking NBC's prime-time ratings out of the basement is considered one of the most challenging tasks facing Comcast once it gains control of the NBC cable and broadcast-TV network.

That was the big news out of Thursday's long-awaited internal memo to employees at NBC Universal Inc. on the details of the post-merger corporate hierarchy.

As with most news related to Hollywood or TV, many of the personnel changes had leaked out over the last few weeks. Although this one had not: Comcast's top programming executive, Jeff Shell, who logically could have been considered for the top NBC entertainment or sports jobs, will go to London to head NBC Universal International and license NBC content overseas.

According to the memo, signed by Comcast executive Steve Burke, two current NBCU executives retain key posts. Bonnie Hammer was named chairman of cable network entertainment, and Lauren Zalaznick was appointed chairman of Internet businesses, Bravo, and Oxygen.

Veteran NBC sports executive Dick Ebersol will become chairman of the NBC Sports Group, with oversight of Comcast regional sports businesses, to be run by Jon Litner, and the Philadelphia-based Versus sports network.

Some speculate that Versus - whose management team relocated to Philadelphia in recent years - could eventually move to New York near Ebersol.

Los Angeles-based Comcast executive Ted Harbert, a Comcast executive associated with E!, becomes chairman of NBC Broadcasting, which will oversee the NBC TV stations and have other duties. Comcast executive Matt Bond, who is based in Philadelphia, will join NBCU as executive vice president of content distribution.

Page Thompson, the former Comcast executive who headed the Golf Channel, will join NBCU as executive vice president of strategic integration and be responsible for finding "synergies" between Comcast, NBC, the Universal movie studio, theme parks, and cable channels.

The federal government appears to be in the final stages of reviewing Comcast's proposed deal to acquire a controlling interest in NBCU. The Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission have to sign off. Most experts say they believe that the agencies will, but may impose conditions that limit Comcast's market power in the cable TV or online-video businesses.

Comcast has said it would like the deal to close by year-end.

"We are beginning our leadership announcements now because, with the anticipated close of the deal nearing, we want to give everyone enough time to begin to think about the specific opportunities and challenges they will face beginning the day of the close," Burke said in the memo.

Jeff Zucker, the current head of NBCU, has said he would step down after the deal closes.