NBC executive has been hit and miss

Zucker dismissed gossip about Silverman as sniping by those who feel threatened by change.

"He is not bound by the old rules of doing business, and that scares a lot of people in Hollywood," Zucker said.

Zucker has a lot riding on Silverman. Fifteen months ago, Zucker made a big bet by hiring the former talent agent and TV producer who had made a name for himself by reworking such British shows as "The Office" for American audiences.

NBC was in need of a shake-up. Riding high on "Friends," "Frasier," "West Wing" and "Law & Order," NBC four years ago was attracting 11 million viewers a night. Last season, which was disrupted by the writers strike, NBC mustered an average of 7.8 million viewers nightly.

Of course, all the networks have struggled to hold on to their audiences amid rising program costs, increased competition from cable channels and the proliferation of new entertainment devices. The Internet and digital video recorders have fundamentally altered how people watch programs as well as the economic underpinnings of the business.

But management issues at NBC have been a distraction.

Only a few months into the job, questions arose that Silverman was using his position as chief programmer at NBC to increase the value of the production company he continued to own, Reveille, by steering its shows to NBC. Those concerns prompted Silverman in February to sell the firm, a major supplier to NBC, to Elisabeth Murdoch for $125 million. The deal came after NBC ordered 13 projects from the company, including "American Gladiators" and "Kath & Kim," a remake of an Australian comedy about a mother and daughter's love-hate relationship that premieres next month.

NBC said it avoided any potential conflict because Zucker had final authority to approve projects from Reveille.

More recently, another relationship has caused problems at the network. Silverman appointed as his No. 2 executive at NBC his programming assistant, Teri Weinberg, from Reveille. By picking Weinberg, he elevated someone who had no experience at a network or managing a large staff to oversee the development of comedies and dramas. He gave her key duties, including taking pitches, reading scripts and working closely with advertisers.