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Jeff Zucker was a fearless news producer and fast-rising entertainment executive who was just 41 when he became head of NBC Universal. But in the last few years, the onetime whiz kid behind the "Today" show -- he turned Katie Couric into a star -- has made several costly miscalculations that have led to a spectacular fall by the country's premier television network. Zucker's troubles were magnified this week when, with NBC facing a revolt by affiliate stations furious over their sinking ratings, he decided to move Jay Leno back to late night after less than four months.

Jay Leno, the former king of late-night television who was pushed out as host of NBC's "The Tonight Show" last year and then struggled in his new prime-time slot, is in talks to return to 11:30 p.m. Conan O'Brien, who succeeded Leno, would either go back to following Leno or leave the network. The reshuffle could happen as soon as March, after NBC finishes airing the 2010 Winter Olympics, according to people familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity. Although Leno is on board with the plan, O'Brien has not yet signed on and that needs to be resolved before the network can make it official, sources said.

Hoping to find an elusive hit or two to revive the beleaguered peacock network, NBC Universal said Friday that it had renewed its deal with the high-powered television production firm BermanBraun. The three-year contract extension means that the company, launched in 2007 by former top network executives Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun, will allow NBC Universal to buy any of its TV projects before the firm pitches them to a competing network. NBC pays the firm's overhead, but the two companies declined to provide specifics about the deal.

Baltimore may be called Charm City, but for WBAL -- the local television station that carries NBC's "The Jay Leno Show" -- there isn't much to smile about lately. Usually, WBAL is in a neck-and-neck race for viewers against arch rival WJZ. But since NBC debuted "The Jay Leno Show" in prime time five weeks ago, the station's 11 p.m. newscast -- where silver-haired Rod Daniels' 25-year run as anchor is the longest in Baltimore history -- has been shellacked in the ratings. Now WBAL is a distant second.

So, the pressure is really on for Jay Leno, right? His new 10 p.m. talk show debuts in a little over a month, and if it goes down the drain it could take NBC's fading hopes of a prime-time revival along with it. The poor guy must be sweating. Well, um, not so much. "The network's on its own," Leno told reporters Wednesday evening at the TV press tour in Pasadena, using a tone that seemed no more than half in jest. "Screw them! I'm not here to save them."

Not long ago, Jeff Gaspin was known inside NBC Universal as a "man without a country." The executive floated from job to job, collecting clunky titles such as executive vice president for alternative series, longform, specials and program strategy. No one can say that now. Last week, the man without a country gained an empire as the reserved 48-year-old executive was thrust into the No. 2 job at NBC Universal, directly under Chief Executive Jeff Zucker.

NBC Universal's announcement Monday that Ben Silverman is leaving the network after his two-year tenure did little to reverse its prime-time fortunes was one of the least surprising stories to hit the television industry in some time. What was unexpected was who broke the news -- and how. At 5:09 a.m.

One of Hollywood's juiciest television dramas came to a close Monday when NBC Entertainment chief Ben Silverman said he was leaving the network after two tumultuous years. In the end, NBC Universal Chief Executive Jeff Zucker's big gamble to hand over the keys to NBC's storied legacy to an aggressive young television producer who vowed to revolutionize the network backfired.

It's hardly a shocker to read the news that Ben Silverman is finally -- after a year of breathless speculation -- out at NBC, having announced that he is leaving his post as network entertainment chief to form a new venture with Barry Diller, a longtime Silverman mentor and perhaps the oldest living new-media mogul on the planet.

Producer Charlie Ebersol gave an unusual assignment to the camera crews that worked on NBC's "The Wanted," a novel news series that tracks down accused terrorists and war criminals. Before shooting material for the program, crew members had to watch "The Bourne Supremacy" and "The Bourne Ultimatum" and figure out how to re-create that slick cinematic style. "Bourne" director Paul Greengrass would "probably accuse me of homage," Ebersol said with a laugh.