• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, July 25, 2007

As NBC Universal continues to divide the duties held by the recently departed Jay Ireland, the company has tapped a 17-year veteran to oversee affiliate relations and network operations for NBC. Those roles, along with his continuing position as CIO, have given John Eck the new title of president of the NBC network.

Eck will continue to report to CEO Jeff Zucker. Ireland--now with GE Asset Management--held the affiliate relations and network operations oversight duties, notably managing relations with some 200 affiliates, before departing.

Last week, NBCU named a replacement for Ireland as head of the company's 10 English-language O&Os. Announcements about who will lead Telemundo's owned-and-operated stations and the Spanish-language network itself are expected soon.

Eck's role overseeing the NBC network operations includes some nuts-and-bolts management of program formats, as well as plans for what would take place on-air in the wake of a news-making event.

"John is a skilled and experienced television executive who has been a key part of our leadership team for more than a decade," Zucker said. Eck has served as Chief Information Office of NBCU for two years.