Acquisition

NBC Execs Fight to Survive

Will Comcast pick Zucker or Meyer?

NBC Universal President Jeff Zucker and Universal Studios President Ron Meyer are in a race for the finish line as Comcast moves to acquire NBC Universal from General Electric. Entertainment blogger Anne Thompson writes, “It’s likely that only one will survive the Comcast acquisition. Each one wants to win.” There’s no love lost between the two: An email leaked to reporters said the execs “long ago came to the realization that they neither like nor respect each other.” The tipster explained, “Zucker thinks Meyer is all fluff, no substance. Meyer thinks Zucker is a fool, too full of himself to realize what a disaster he’s been at the helm of NBC.” The war is one part East Coast [Zucker] vs. West Coast and partially an issue of differing constituencies. Meyer is liked in Hollywood and Zucker is not. An NBC source claimed the feud is nonexistent saying, “Ron and Jeff are not only colleagues, they are friends” and that “they talk almost daily.” He adds, “This whole thing is just someone’s attempt to stir up trouble where there is none.”