Nbc Universal Company

Hours after NBC Universal said it would sell its storied NBC Studios in Burbank, late-night talk show host Jay Leno offered his take on the news from the stage of Studio 3, his home of 15 years. "We are coming to you from the NBC lot in Burbank as now seen on EBay," Leno riffed during his monologue Thursday. Then, as part of a skit, an actress posing as a real estate agent in a gold blazer barged onto the set with a young couple in tow. "It has air conditioning and 87 bathrooms," she chirped.

NBC Universal is dropping the curtain on "beautiful downtown Burbank." The media company, which made the town of tract houses the butt of endless jokes, but also brought it prominence as the base of "The Tonight Show," is decamping to nearby Universal Studios. The media company plans to announce today that it will sell much of the 34 acres it owns in Burbank, including the legendary NBC Studios at 3000 W. Alameda Ave.

NBC Universal put out a welcome mat for a new girl posse Tuesday by agreeing to pay $925 million to buy Oxygen Media, the independent cable television channel for women launched seven years ago by talk-show host Oprah Winfrey, cable programming pioneer Geraldine Laybourne and Los Angeles TV maverick Marcy Carsey. The sale gives Oxygen's private owners a graceful exit from a tough business.

In the increasingly difficult business of syndicated television, Warner Bros. on Thursday proved that TV stations still have an appetite for original programming. Warner Bros. and NBC Universal said they had finalized three deals, including one that foreshadows the launch of a daytime talk show next year. The show, which will feature comedienne Bonnie Hunt, will run on TV stations owned by NBC Universal. NBC Universal, the entertainment arm of General Electric Co.

Apple Inc. said Friday that it wouldn't sell future seasons of "The Office" or any other NBC Universal TV shows through its iTunes video store after a contract dispute between the two companies erupted into the open. Apple's decision not to sell new episodes of "Heroes," "30 Rock" and other NBC series marked the latest salvo in the tug of war between the technology giant and the entertainment industry, which is increasingly unsettled by Apple's growing clout.

General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal Inc. and Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. on Wednesday announced the name of their new Web-based network of films and television shows: Hulu. The site will start in a private testing format in October and be open to a limited number of users, the companies said in an e-mailed statement. The name was chosen because it is short, easy to spell and rhymes with itself, project chief Jason Kilar said on the Hulu website. The NBC Universal-News Corp.

In a plot twist worthy of the most gripping telenovela, two brothers are battling for real-life television glory. NBC Universal on Wednesday cast a new leading man to run Telemundo's KVEA-TV Channel 52 in Los Angeles, the Spanish-language station that has been rocked by scandal in the wake of revelations of an affair between one of its news anchors and the mayor of Los Angeles.

The extramarital affair between Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and a newscaster for Telemundo has created a new set of complications for the broadcaster's corporate parent, NBC Universal -- and possibly the mayor himself.

Top NBC Universal executive Jeff Gaspin's world got a lot bigger and more challenging on Wednesday. Gaspin was put in charge of Telemundo, the Spanish-language network that has struggled in the shadows of its dominant rival, Univision Communications Inc., ever since NBC bought the operation five years ago for $2.7 billion. Gaspin, who is quickly becoming NBC Universal's jack-of-all-trades, also picked up responsibility for domestic TV syndication.

News Corp. and NBC Universal on Thursday named a little-known former executive of Amazon.com as head of its highly touted and well-financed online video joint venture. Jason Kilar, who helped Amazon.com break into DVD sales in his decade with the online retailer, brings expertise in e-commerce and a passion for delivering a great user experience for video on the Web, his new employers say.