Nellie Andreeva

UPDATED: In the first executive fallout from the pending post-merger restructuring at NBC, Angela Bromstad, primetime entertainment president for the network and sister studio UMS, will be leaving. She told her staff about her departure this afternoon. There had been rumblings that Bromstad may not be part of the new NBC programming team under new entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt after the Comcast/NBC Universal merger is completed next week, but Comcast’s November announcement of NBCU’s post-merger executive structure made a point of listing her as staying on. (There was a potential scenario, in which Bromstad would take over her old job of running UMS should Greenblatt decide to give it more autonomy.) If she hadn’t left on her own, Bromstad would have probably been pushed out within the next week or so, sources said. Greenblatt had reportedly been telling people that Bromstad “will be gone within 48 hours” of him starting at NBC. The latter is expected to finally happen next week when the Comcast-NBCU merger is approved. And in another sign that she was probably not going to factor into NBC’s future executive plans, Bromstad didn’t hold a Q&A session at TCA last week. This is the second time Bromstad leaves a top NBC post after a new chairman is brought in. In 2007, she was pushed out as president of UMS when Ben Silverman joined the network and moved to London to run NBCU’s U.K. production office. She was brought back 2 years later in the aftermath of Silverman’s exit. Bromstad’s departure, along with the exit of NBCU TV Group president Jeff Gaspin, streamlines NBC’s creative hierarchy, with Greenblatt in full control of the network’s programming. The move also fueled a new round of rumors about what executives Greenblatt might bring in. Speculation once again focused on “the usual suspects,” former Showtime SVP original programming Danielle Gelber and 20th Century Fox TV EVP Jennifer Nicholson-Salke. I hear Gelber will not be going to NBC while Nicholson-Salke, who is now under contract at 20th TV, could eventually join Greenblatt though not right away, sources said. As for Bromstad, she is expected to take some time off before starting to look for opportunities. There will be one coming up in May when CW entertainment president Dawn Ostroff leaves the network. Bromstad would have celebrated her 15-year anniversary at NBCU. She joined the company in 1994 as director, miniseries and TV movies. After a five-year stint in the longform department, she moved to series, serving as VP series at NBC Studios, SVP drama for NBC and eventually co-head and head of UMS predecessor NBCU TV Studios. Here is Bromstad’s email to her staff:

Today I wanted to let you know that I’m leaving NBC Universal. I cannot possibly sum up my thoughts and emotions in an email but suffice it to say I have tremendous respect for the company and for the people with whom I have had the privilege to work with and know during my time here. I take great memories and friendships with me and I wish you all the best going forward.
Angela Bromstad

TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.