• Bloomberg, Monday, February 5, 2007 11:30 AM

General Electric Co. will put Jeff Zucker in the top slot at NBC Universal this week, according to insiders. Zucker, who came to prominence as executive producer of NBC's "Today" show, will replace Robert Wright, who has run the company for two decades. GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt will expand Zucker's power beyond television to a film studio and theme parks in California, Florida and Japan. He is betting Zucker can extend recent successes at NBC Television, where ratings have improved, to the whole unit.

Zucker recently cut costs by $750 million at NBC Universal, stemming a yearlong slide in profit. "The NBC unit has been a laggard," says Steve Roukis of Matrix Asset Advisors in New York. "You'd like to see both parts, NBC and Universal, moving in the right direction." Spokespeople for both NBC Universal and parent GE decline comment.

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