Jeff Zucker decided to reveal he'd been fired by Comcast this morning because he'd just finished negotiating his severance package, insiders explain to me. So Zucker told reporters that the decision for him to leave as head of NBC Universal was made for him by Comcast COO Steve Burke 2 weeks ago during a face-to-face meeting. “He made it clear that they wanted to move on at the close of the deal and I was completely comfortable with that,” Zucker told his favorite journalist, Bill Carter of The New York Times. “We had both gotten to the same place.” It has long been expected that, once NBCU switched out of GE's control where Zucker was inexplicably protected by CEO Jeffrey Immelt, the savvy Comcast brass would recognize how badly the NBCU topper had "Zucked-up" his job. (I scooped how, during Zucker's mishandling of the Conan O'Brien-Jay Leno situation, private emails went out from high-level executives at Comcast saying, "What a mess.") But no one is taking up a collection for Zucker: Immelt bestowed on him a new 3-year contract which Comcast will now have to pay out.
The NYT's Bill Carter, who's generally recognized as a suck-up to network moguls, is writing a book about the Late Night Follies involving Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno and David Letterman that's a sequel to his Late Shift. So Carter has worked overtime to ingratiate himself with Zucker. Today, the NBCU chief described his departure to Carter as both “incredibly emotional” and “gut-wrenching" because he'd spent his career at NBC. In previous interviews with journalists, Zucker had demonstrated considerable bravado and misplaced arrogance that "of course" he would run NBCU after Comcast took control of 51%. But today, Zucker backpeddled. “Look, I knew from the day this was announced that this was a possibility,” he told Carter. “I wasn’t going to shut the door on anything. But in the last nine months it became increasingly clear that they did want to put their own team in place — and I didn’t want to end up being a guest in my own house.”
What's incredible, and demonstrates how much he's still in denial, is that Zucker told Carter he did not detect “any particular reason” for Burke firing him beyond Comcast's inclination to make a change. MORE
3RD UPDATE 8:10 AM: Still, the timing is a shocker. How bizarre that Zucker made the announcement to his staff this morning even though Comcast won't clear regulatory hurdles until First Quarter 2011 at the earliest. (There've been considerable delays dragging out the deal approval process.) That makes Zucker not just a lame duck, but a sitting duck at the Big Media company. "We're all in shock," an insider told me before news of the Zucker-Burke meeting got out. "They must have fired him. He sent out a note to the staff along the lines of 'I've loved my time here and it's time for me to go.'" In fact, senior staff received word directly from Zucker about 30 minutes before the email went out wide to NBCU. (See email below.) One NBCU exec I spoke with this morning had just dealt with Zucker the day before. "I spoke to him on other topics and he gave no indication. He didn’t seem depressed. It was business as usual." The news first broke early this morning on CNBC which reported that Jeff Zucker will step down as CEO of NBC Universal after the merger with Comcast. CNBC has a history as the in-house clearinghouse for news about NBCU, GE, and now Comcast.
Here's the email that Zucker sent to NBCU staff:
From: Zucker, Jeff (NBC Universal)
Sent: Friday, September 24, 2010 10:58 AM
To: NBC Universal Employee Communications (NBC Universal)
Subject: A Note from Jeff Zucker
September 24, 2010
Well, the time has come. This time, to tell you a little news about me.
When Comcast assumes control of NBC Universal, I will leave the company.
It has not been an easy or simple decision. I have spent my entire adult life here, more than 24 years. This is the only place I have ever worked. The only professional thing I have ever known. I met my wife here, enjoyed the birth of our four children in that time, worked in almost every division of the company. And forged relationships, both professional and personal, that will last a lifetime.
I remember, vividly, the first day I came to work here in August, 1986. I walked to work at 30 Rockefeller Plaza that day; it was humid and my shirt was soaking by the time I got there. In the years since, I have enjoyed nothing but sheer pleasure in having the names NBC and Universal on my business cards. Sure, there have been ups and downs in the last quarter century. But when I step back, and think about what we've been through, I feel nothing but pride and joy. It has been a great run and I've been incredibly fortunate.
Now, it is clear to me that this is the right decision for me and for the company. Comcast will be a great new steward, just as GE has been, and they deserve the chance to implement their own vision.
I am proud that they will inherit a company in very good shape, with almost every one of our divisions enjoying their best year ever. The current strength of the company is a tribute to every one of you and the terrific leadership team that is in place.
We'll talk more about the shape of the company in the months ahead. For now, I just wanted you to know my plans. I won't be going anywhere until the day the deal closes, and that day is still months away. There is plenty left to do, and we have an obligation to each other to maintain what we have already built. I will continue to approach everything we do with the long-term interest of the company in mind, just as I always have; I know no other way.
I don't yet know what my future will bring. I've spent the last 24 years thinking only about NBC Universal, and never contemplated anything else. I haven't even begun to think about the next chapter. But I wanted to be honest with you about this news as soon as I could.
I love NBC Universal. And always will. And I am grateful to each of you.
My most heartfelt thanks.
Fuente : deadline.com
