Nbc Universal

Jeff Zucker, a lifelong employee of NBC Universal, said Friday that he would step down as chief executive after being told there won't be a place for him once Philadelphia cable giant Comcast Corp. takes over the company at the end of the year. Two weeks ago, Comcast Chief Operating Officer Steve Burke told Zucker that he wanted him to "move on" as soon as Comcast takes control of the media conglomerate. Federal regulators are expected later this year or early next to approve the $30-billion merger between Comcast's entertainment properties and General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal, which will create an entertainment juggernaut that includes the NBC broadcast network, cable channels including USA, Bravo, MSNBC, CNBC and E!

When Comcast Corp. assumes control of NBC Universal, the company will inherit a portfolio of news organizations, including a top-shelf network news division that dominates the competition. Powered by the "Today" show in the morning and "NBC Nightly News" in the evening, NBC News is one of the few bright spots at the broadcast network. It's also one of the few aspects of the venture that will be largely new terrain for Comcast. Until now, the Philadelphia-based cable television operator's experience in news has been limited to running a handful of local television channels that produce newscasts, including the East Coast regional network CN8 until it shut down at the end of last year.

NBC Universal, beset by the continued slump in advertising and weaker performance of its movies, is no longer quite the profit star in General Electric Co.'s universe. Operating profit tumbled 41% to $539 million for the second quarter at the industrial giant's media division, which includes the NBC network; cable channels USA, Bravo and MSNBC; and Universal Studios and theme parks. NBC Universal contributed $3.

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.

General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal agreed to buy Carnival Film & Television Ltd., the producer of "Hotel Babylon" for British Broadcasting Corp. and "Midnight Man" for ITV. The acquisition includes the library rights to Carnival titles, NBC Universal said. A purchase price wasn't disclosed.

World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. said Monday it has signed a three-year deal to broadcast its wrestling events on NBC Universal's TV networks. Starting in October, WWE's weekly shows will broadcast on NBC Universal properties, including "Monday Night RAW," which will be seen on the USA Network, as well as other shows aired on Telemundo and NBC.

Like any successful company, NBC Universal has always celebrated green -- as in money. But this week, green is taking on a whole new shade as the company goes with environmentally themed content across all of its programming outlets. "NBC Nightly News" will dedicate each weeknight to an environmental topic, and MSNBC will zero in on the politics of green. Eco-friendly pop-ups will be featured on the season premiere of Bravo's "Real Housewives of Orange County" (Tuesday, 10 p.m.

Bridget Baker's corner office at NBC Universal in Burbank is adorned with photos of her hobnobbing with kings. In one, a young Baker stands alongside a silver-haired Johnny Carson, in another she is mugging with denim-clad Jay Leno, and in a third, she's rubbing shoulders with bow-tied and bushy-eyebrowed Ralph J. Roberts. Roberts, the 90-year-old co-founder of Comcast Corp., might not be a household name, but he and his son, Brian, the company's chief executive, are poised to exert more sway on the future of NBC than the network's royal comedians.

NBC Universal won't be ringing in the new year as part of the Comcast Corp. family. The cable giant confirmed Wednesday that despite earlier hopes the purchase would close this year, its proposed deal to acquire control of General Electric Co.'s film and television division won't get through regulatory review and be finished until 2011. In a statement, Comcast said although the cable company believes the Federal Communications Commission and U.S. Justice Department continue to make "substantial process toward approval of our transaction ... it now appears that we will not be able to close the transaction with GE relating to NBC Universal by year-end.