Report: Zucker
will be booted by Comcast
Other shorts: Programming notes: HBO renews 'Big Love'
By Louisa Ada Seltzer
Feb 4, 2010
Report: Zucker will be booted by Comcast
Publicly, Comcast stood behind NBC Universal president and CEO Jeff Zucker during the recent late-night fiasco. But privately, the cable carrier is said to be planning for his dismissal as soon as its acquisition of NBC Universal is finalized. That's according to Nikki Finke of Deadline Hollywood, whose distaste for Zucker is well known. She claims that it will take "minutes, not months" for Comcast to fire Zucker once regulators have approved the deal. If true, perhaps this is a bit of good news for Zucker: There are still a few hurdles left. Regulators are getting an earful from smaller cable companies worried what impact the Comcast acquisition will have on sports programming. The American Cable Association, while not going so far as to oppose the deal, says it wants guarantees that Comcast will charge them the same rates for sports channels as it charges itself (Comcast is one of the nation's biggest cable carriers). Comcast owns Versus and Golf Channel as well as some regional sports networks. For his part yesterday, Zucker was busy churning out a memo to NBC Universal employees informing them about the companies' transition plans. In the full text printed on Deadline, Zucker notes, "After close, NBCU will operate as a separate company that will be consolidated with Comcast, but not integrated into Comcast."
Programming notes: HBO renews 'Big Love'
Polygamy lives on at HBO. The cable network has ordered a fifth season of its drama “Big Love,” which stars Bill Paxton as a Utah businessman with three wives. This season’s premiere averaged 1.7 million total viewers on Jan. 10, up 49 percent from the season three premiere. Meanwhile, in other programming, Fuel TV is set to premiere “The Moto: Inside the Outdoors” on Feb. 17 at 8 p.m. The series will follow racers during the 12-race AMA Outdoor Motocross Championship Series. On March 16 at 11 p.m. HGTV will premiere “Marriage Under Construction,” about a just-married couple who buy, renovate and decorate their first home together. On April 11 at 9 p.m. VH1 will roll out “Brandy and Ray J: A Family Business,” a reality series revolving around the siblings. The show will look at the duo’s family life as well as life at their company, Rn’B Productions. And on broadcast, ABC will air the much-anticipated two-hour series finale of “Lost” on May 23 at 9 p.m., following an hour-long recap episode.
Police: Seattle radio employee fixed giveaways
It seemed like a win-win situation, until she got caught. Ryan Elizabeth Keeley, a former promotions coordinator at KVI 570-AM in Seattle, has been charged with felony first-degree theft in King County Superior Court for allegedly fixing a series of call-in contests and splitting the winnings with the winners. From Feb. 6 to March 30, 2007, the station ran a promotion called Secret Listener Salute, in which three names were read daily. The listeners then had 30 minutes to call in and collect a $1,000 prize. Keeley was in charge of giving the names to the broadcast booth, and police say she gave the names of associates rather than randomly selected listeners. She left the radio station later that year, but when one winner was contacted at the end of 2007, he allegedly told the new promotions coordinator that he never received his prize and that Keeley rigged the promotion and would keep part of the winnings. Fourteen others who allegedly took part in the scam with Keeley have been charged with second-degree theft, which is also a felony. An arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 16.
Going for $15K, it's The Hef, a gray mohair loveseat
These days if you mention Playboy Clubs, you're likely to draw blank stares, but back when Playboy magazine was the top men's read, they were scattered around the country and the world, and it was the cool thing to be a member of your local club, be it in Chicago, or London or New York, where women dressed up in bunny outfits served drinks. The clubs are now largely gone, with just one remaining in Las Vegas, and Playboy founder Hugh Hefner is an old man, but the memory of the clubs lingers on, and to celebrate the founding of the first club 50 years ago Hefner has partnered with Bryan Batt, star of AMC's "Mad Men," a show set in the '60s, to create what's being called The Hef, described as a loveseat designed in a style that evokes that era. Note: Batt is also an interior decorator, so it truly is a joint project. Hefner will personally sign each chair, which will be done in gray mohair upholstery and panels of rosewood. But hurry if you want one, and dig deep. Just 50 are being made, and they're selling for $15,000.
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