It was a memo like any other released by a CEO of a public company on the day the company’s quarterly earnings report is out. But this morning’s message by outgoing NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker about the company’s 4th quarter earnings ended on a farewell note as it comes a week before the completion of the Comcast-NBCU merger that will see Zucker replaced by Comcast’s Steve Burke. Here is what Zucker wrote:
As you know, the deal will formally close next Friday. That means this will be my last business update and indeed my last official word to each of you as CEO. Over the last few months, I made an effort to gather with every group of employees across the company. Hopefully, I’ve had a chance to meet and thank you personally for all you have done for this company. If I didn’t get to you, please accept my thanks now. I have been asked many times what I will miss the most about NBC Universal. That’s easy. The wonderful people of this company. So many colleagues…so many friends. I will miss you all.
It has been a fantastic run of almost 25 years. For me, that chapter’s ending, but for all of you it’s an exciting new beginning. With Comcast, I leave you in good hands and have no doubt that you will continue to do great things. I look forward to following your progress.
With warm regards,
Jeff
Jeff Zucker zucked at his job.
Hopefully, Steve Burke and Bob Greenblatt will come up with edgier programming riskier programming. Greenblatt apparently is a creative type.
Nikki,
Please, do us all a favor and eliminate Jeff Zucker from DH as we will all delete Jeff Zucker from our memories.
Like in Mission Impossible, let’s have Jeff Zucker self destruct 10 seconds after this post.
“…with Comcast, I leave you in good hands..” As if he had a choice. A complete fraud and bullshit artist to the very end.
Was he really THAT bad guys. Sure NBC has really crappy shows. But, was Jeff a bad person?
He made grand pronouncements about how he was changing the face of network programming by doing away with scripted shows at 8, redoing the network upfronts and much more, all of which turned out to be failures. Yet Zucker never acknowledged that and downplayed the importance of NBC and its legacy. He also arrogantly treated the creative community like crap. So for those of us who like quality entertainment, yes, Crissy, Jeff is a bad person.
And he bent over for the back stabbing Leno, who will hopefully be yanked from the air by the new Comcast bunch and replaced by Conan! That would be great!
Yes, he was that bad. He also cost a lot of talented and hard-working people their jobs.
Please see Tom’s post (a few comments above yours.) I second his thoughts and his request to Nikki.
Made me laugh, thanks Nellie!
Classy note.
And just what digital company/board/startup will he wind up at?
If there is a God in Heaven, let him keep Mr. Zucker unemployed for the rest of his natural life, so he cannot destroy anymore once-great companies. (Unless he chooses to do charity work.)
(I would have wished for something nastier, but Mr. Z is a two-time cancer survivor, so, Lord, I’m okay with letting him go in peace.)
And to Crissy Snow: Yes, he was and is a bad person. You have no idea…
You never met with the staff of The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien before you put them all out of work. Thanks for nothing, Zucker.
I knew someone who was in Zucker’s class at Harvard. He said that when Zucker was made executive producer of the Today Show at 26, his fellow alumni were so shaken by jealously and insecurity that several went into therapy. Funny how it all turned out…
Bye, asswipe!
You have to marvel at Zucker’s ability to spin any item to his benefit.
This is a glorious day … you don’t realize how some people were squeezed out of their jobs by Mr.Zucker after the writers’ strike. You should do some digging, Nikki! For me … I agree with the “God In Heaven” comment.
He is the W. of TV Execs. Dumping Leno for Conan and then putting Jay at 10, and then back again is to TV what invading Iraq was to the world. Not to mention, what show can he point to in his tenure that worked? If “40 Year Old Virgin” hadn’t come out, “The Office” would have been cancelled. He had something in “Heroes” and “My Name is Earl” and effed them up by moving them or taking them off and putting them back on later.
The writers ruined Heroes my friend. It was never the same after the first season.
So long, asshat.
A colossal failure who did everything he could to destroy a franchise – let’s wish him the best personally, but hope he never works again, less his incompetence and complete lack of common sense ruin another great company.
“NBCU’s fourth quarter revenue rose to $4.8 billion (up 12%), and profit saw a 38% gain to $830 million powered by a Big Media-wide advertising rebound that boosted the bottom line across the company.”
Sounds like he made a lot of enemies. Zucker made mistakes like many of us. He’s now out but leaving on a nice note (38% gain? Comcast should be thrilled). I don’t know him, but wish anyone moving on well.
He will not be missed. Now I just hope he will never set foot on another network except Fox News
Wasn’t there a story in here a while back about how Comcast treats employees like shit? Meet the new boss…?
When it was time for Warner to renegotiate its West Wing licensing fee in season 4 — that’s when the real money is made — Zucker thought nothing of bad-mouthing and trashing his tiffany program to every journalist who’d speak to him (who would usually be his famous toady Bill Carter). Zucker had no issues at all with doing great damage to one of his own franchise shows, and he did this with plenty of other programs.
He was a disaster, talented at sucking up and shitting down. Somehow, GE fell for it, thrilled to see that Comcast did not. The man defied physics, people, floating upwards as he failed.
He may try to come across as a class act but a class act would admit ALL of their mistakes and take accountability for them(make things right). He is trying to sell us that they never happened(which is psychopathic behavior not classy). No work for YOU!
“…talented at sucking up and shitting down.”
Now THAT’s funny.
I am,
The Hollywood Republican
I’m gonna miss that little twirp.
He is Ebersol’s puppet
May the Peter Principle end with Zucker. A failure from day one to the last day. May you never show your face again in Show Business and certainly out in Hollywood. And get a toupee for your head and duct tape for your mouth. Unfortunately, there is no help available for your small brain.