Jeff Zucker Spins Comcast/GE/NBCU Today

COMMENTS (19)

• Nikki,

  You have to start a deadpool as to how long this…guy lasts under Roberts/Burke.

  Neither tolerates fools, especially unprofitable fools.

  Comment by P. Lee — Friday December 4, 2009 @ 1:50pm PST  Reply to this post

• Funny. It seems that the three co-anchors were ultimately more concerned whether they were keeping their jobs down the line. Of course Zucker was giving that smiling, joking line of bullshit where you need really needed to have a thought bubble stating “I love you guys but when Roberts says to can the show I will wipe you all like my ass after a Mexican Sunday brunch”.

  Comment by Above and Below — Friday December 4, 2009 @ 1:54pm PST  Reply to this post

• Zucker is so full of shit it’s not even funny. he’s very worried about holding on to whatever little creditbility he has for making a case to keep his job. Oust the bastard once and for all and get some new blood in at NBC, so they can cease becoming a laughing-stock there.

  Comment by Zeke — Friday December 4, 2009 @ 4:03pm PST  Reply to this post

• Yes, Comcast, you must fix the problem…

  By next year, Zucker (and his boy Jay) will be distant memories.

  Comment by Brad — Friday December 4, 2009 @ 4:41pm PST  Reply to this post

• God, they’re like vultures. What a putz.

  Comment by B.S — Friday December 4, 2009 @ 5:08pm PST  Reply to this post

• That dripping sound you hear is the show eroding of free TV…

  Comment by Anonymous — Friday December 4, 2009 @ 5:49pm PST  Reply to this post

• “We haven’t had a clue who we are for several years, so this is just business as usual.”

  Comment by sanguillen — Friday December 4, 2009 @ 5:54pm PST  Reply to this post

• Putting the lie to Zucker’s judgment: Last Tuesday the 2nd hour of a two-hour Biggest Loser, 10-11 p.m., garnered a 3.9 demo rating. In that spot Zucker’s golden boy Jay Leno averages about a 1.4. This is the man you want running Comcast/NBC Uni?

  Nah, this is just for the transition, right?

  Comment by Reality Bites — Friday December 4, 2009 @ 6:17pm PST  Reply to this post

• Everyone who thinks Comcast will get rid of Zucker is lost in the haze of what should be, instead of what is. He is about to sign another rich long-term contract. He has proven that his performance is irrelevant to his career trajectory. Five years from now he will be with the company with a higher title and richer salary, and the NBC broadcast network may or may not still exist.

  Comment by LD — Friday December 4, 2009 @ 10:44pm PST  Reply to this post

• Zucker needs to just dump scripted programing all together and replace it with shows like Biggest Loser.

  Comcast wants those golden cable channels and the studio, not NBC. All Roberts and Zucker talk about is the cable channels very little is said about NBC. Two revenue streams.

  Comment by lsb — Saturday December 5, 2009 @ 12:15am PST  Reply to this post

• I’m so conflicted. I worked at NBC for years (didn’t know Zucker well)

  Sure part of me hates him, and I ask the same question of “who does he have pictures of?!!”

  An objective observer would say he’s had a negative effect on my career, indirectly, and that my family is clearly worse off because of his existence. I’ve ripped him on numerous occasions, on this very site.

  But I feel bad. I feel for his kids and their endless discomfort, maybe even shame. Dead serious. And really I feel for Jeff as well, as a man, because in this modern era EVERYTHING can be spun. Yet there’s no way to spin this – Zucker is an outright failure. To the extent that upon seeing him, I just feel bad. Can you imagine? Like those 3 people in that clip, every single person he comes across deems him a failure. And he has to fake it – fake it even more than he did upon arrival at NBC, and bs it in every damn interview.

  Good luck to Jeff, in all seriousness, despite all the harm he’s caused, company and employees alike.

  Comment by B. Real — Saturday December 5, 2009 @ 12:41am PST  Reply to this post

• Acquire cable networks: check

  Turn NBC into a cable network: check.

  Comment by john waite — Saturday December 5, 2009 @ 7:43am PST  Reply to this post

• Considering he’s still the boss, they asked some tough questions. Leno @10pm? Will Comcast fund shows? Robert’s frugal nature? Loss leaders? Of course, they didn’t ask about his job but not a bad interview.

  Comment by sp — Saturday December 5, 2009 @ 9:07am PST  Reply to this post

• As an outsider in media distribution looking in, as well as being female, I was put off by how Mr. Zucker started the interview by flirting with the female anchor. I agree that some tough questions were asked, but I was most interested to understand his ideas for monetizing content across platforms, but no one asked for details, and Zucker didn’t offer any. I think Zucker will eventually end up being the pawn as Comcast implements higher fees across the board and turns every consumer in America against the brand.

  Comment by Susan — Saturday December 5, 2009 @ 3:11pm PST  Reply to this post

• This really Zucks!

  Comment by Anonymous — Saturday December 5, 2009 @ 6:10pm PST  Reply to this post

• over 12 minutes on CNBC to say,
  “I don’t know.”

  At least Zucker opened the interview with a typical Jeff Zucker sexist remark. So it wasn’t a complete waste.

  Comment by John Tyler — Sunday December 6, 2009 @ 10:33am PST  Reply to this post

• The execs at Comcast are not very bright. That’s why they’re keeping on Jeff.

  Comment by Jamie — Monday December 7, 2009 @ 7:49pm PST  Reply to this post

• Twelve minutes and he said absolutely nothing.

  Comment by Will — Monday December 7, 2009 @ 8:03pm PST  Reply to this post

• B.Real it’s nice read from a former NBC employee.Correct me if I made mistakes here. Personaly I like NBC entertainment programming like Law&Order. But the biggest mistake as as leader Zucker made was with the NBC News Division. His mistake he let left wing idealogy creep in and ruin a fine news product. He and Phil Griffeth the president of MSNBC have let thier anchors attack Fox which is honestly uncalled for. By the way I believe it’s time for Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews to retire. When idealogy and bias,jealously,creep into your news division it drives away viewers and attacking Fox News doesn’t serve no purpose. It defeats u in the end.
  As for entertaintment I love SYFY,USA Network,Top Cheif on Bravo. I believe thier shows are fairing better than than the NBC News Division.The news division was just a victim of bad leadership. It’s going to be interesting to see when Comcast starts to insert control and that has some of the left wing netroots scared.

  Comment by chuck — Tuesday December 8, 2009 @ 2:15pm PST  Reply to this post