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2ND UPDATE: Also fired is Marc Hirschfeld, EVP for all NBC casting.
UPDATE: Maybe Zucker Will Just Do Away With Pesky NBC Programming Altogether...
The names I'm hearing: Katie O'Connell is EVP of NBC net drama development. Erin Gough is EVP head of comedy development at the studio. Elisa Roth is EVP head of drama development at the studio. Ted Frank was in current programming. And Libby Hansen was the No. 2 to axed NBC reality czar Craig Plestis. And Lauren Stein, who was the No. 2 in drama development at the studio under Elisa Roth. Awful, especially after Friday' bloodbath.
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Why does this remind me of the final episode of “Mary Tyler Moore” when the new station manager reviewed the staff and fired everybody but Ted?
You realize this makes no sense whatsoever.
so ben silverman gives his team directives like, “i like myth!” “buy fairy tales!” but it’s THEIR fault crap like robinson crusoe doesn’t work. fish stinks from the head down… who the eff is left to run day to day while ben’s getting stoned??
Looks like the boys club at NBC is not so kind to Women in Television.
Looks like Variety already caved to NBC’s demands by removing the story of Weinberg and Pope from the Variety website. What wimps!
At this rate by next month NBC is going to consist of Zucker, Silverman, and Doris the lady from the cafeteria.
I have a radical idea.
Make shows that are watchable.
So, who is left in Drama?
That’s a good start. As a writer/producer who has worked with NBC I cannot say I’m sad about any of the firings.
Hm, so who will oversee comedy development? Because that’s the only ‘quality’ note NBC can still pretend to play…
I wonder if Ted Frank had to call Ted Frank to let him know his job wasn’t getting a pick-up.
Libby Hansen is first rate, firing her and keeping Ben Silverman is a poor business decision.
Ummm, what about the axing of Marc Hirshfeld – VP Casting? Yeah, it’s his fault the shows suck.
Wow. A great guy and tireless worker with great taste.
Hirshfeld??? This is crazy madness. The guy’s been there forever and he’s beloved. And BenS skiing for the weekend. Just as tin-eared as car execs jetting to D.C. What a grade-A jackass.
katie o’connell is a fantastic network exec. she thinks like a producer, is great to writers, tireless with projects she cares about, incredibly savvy, and–word is–a great boss. she and katherine pope would have made a formidable combo without ben silverman and his nutty ideas getting in the way. (yeah, that whole “straight to series” thing that he and zucker love is working out GREAT.) and skiing the day before you can half your staff? isn’t pot supposed to make you paranoid? shouldn’t he be sitting in his office with the door locked slathering himself in purell?
At this point NBC could make more money (i.e. actually a profit) showing infomercials 24/7
LOL.
Why fire the executives but not the executive who keeps hiring these people?
Hirshfeld? HIRSHFELD? This has gone beyond shocking and sad. Reminds me of another regime incapable of accountability or leadership. This is criminal negligence, gross incompetence and Worst Management Ever. Unbelievable.
Marc’s better off — he’s too talented and classy to have to report to Silverman and Zucker.
Marc Hirschfeld? Are they nuts? There is not a classier or more talented guy in the network casting business.
First of all, I think you’ve got your facts wrong. Ben doesn’t like pot. He likes snow. That’s why he’s “skiing”.
How does Zucker keep his job? And Graboff. Let’s not forget Zucker’s right-hand hachet-man.
I guess rather than selling NBC they’re just going to eviscerate it. Great job, guys.
Could the last one out please turn off the lights?
Remember, Green is Universal….
NBC shot themselves in the foot by producing great programs on their cable channels. Why don’t they either move the time or simulcast that programing on their broadcast stations, like “Burn Notice”, “Eureka”, “Battlestar Galatica” and many more.
They could start many of these series from the first season and run them in at a much lower cost than producing new material.
Slow nights like Saturday could gain greatly from this.
Stupid scheduling mishaps like putting “Las Vegas” against the Stargate franchise on SciFi channel divided viewers between both shows instead of programing shows with contrasting demographics in the same time slots.
NBC news liberal agenda hasn’t helped either, when many people see their logo who can’t stomach their views just switch the channel.
All Broadcast networks were hurt in the writers union strike last year as it pushed many of their viewers to cable, eroding their viewership even more.
Now the Actors Union are getting ready to strike and this time they may just nail the coffin on NBC.
So the big solution to NBC’s woes is to bring back an executive who last time around was a miserable failure … and give her even more responsibility ?
What are they thinking ?
Isn’t this just moving deck chairs on the Titanic ?
Why can’t Immelt and the GE board understand this ?
This is reverting NBC back to the good old boys club it was years ago. Why dont you just fire Silverman and be done with his antics? Anyone who appears on Entourage as himself should be fired anyway.
Too bad Katie O’C is hitting the road. She is smart and personable and they will be losing a legend on that lot since she is related to Alfred Hitchcock.
Hirshfeld is one of the best casting directors I’ve ever worked with, NBC has no idea what they’re doing! He’s smart, innovative and has relationships with all of this town. Katie O’Connell is also a gem for every writer who has ever had to deal with her. She’s ten times better than terri or ben who often individually give contradicting notes for writers i.e.
Terri: This script is too smart. Dumb it down.
Ben: This script is too dumb, sophisticate it up!
Oh, thanks this is gonna turn out great!
I can’t just keep reading these kudos for Katie O’Connell without commenting. Without going into specifics, because I suppose you don’t hit someone when they’re down, let’s just say what’s happening to KOC right now could absolutely be construed as Karma. Take it from someone who knows first-hand…
NBC aired several episodes of the “re-imagined” Battlestar Galactica during network primetime.
The ratings stank.
Heck, the ratings for that show aren’t even that good on the Sci-Fi Channel after the dismal Season 3 with some of the most awful writing I’ve ever seen.
Bonnie Hammer, Ron Moore, and David Eick should be fired for destroying the future earnings’ potential of an established property.
The overpaid mis-managers@NBC should be made to work in the casting department for a week. First you get the most mediocre scripts in the world, then you have to turn them into gold. With notes from those managers on who to cast, which never make sense. You spend much of your time writing lists and seeing shows to gather up new talent. And nobody listens till a year later when it becomes the big cheese’s idea and the talent is long unavailable. You will miss Marc a great deal-your loss, his freedom, can’t wait to see what he does next.
WTH
Libby deserves the can