NBC announced Monday that it is consolidating all of its cable entertainment properties under one executive, Bonnie Hammer. The move elevates Ms. Hammer to a position among the top echelon of female executives in the television business.
At the same time, NBC announced a new role for another of its top executives, Lauren Zalaznick. She has headed up the cable channels Bravo and Oxygen, which will now be added to Ms. Hammer’s responsibilities. NBC is creating a new position for Ms. Zalaznick, leading an effort to find ways to monetize NBC’s operations in the areas of emerging technologies.
The portfolio now controlled by Ms. Hammer is among the most extensive - and lucrative - in the television business. She already ran the operations of most of NBC’s successful cable entertainment channels, including USA, Syfy, and the E channel. By adding the channels Ms. Zalaznick had run, Ms. Hammer will supervise operations generating about half of the total cash flow of NBC Universal.
The appontments, which also included the naming of Joe Uva, the former president of Univision Communications, as chairman of Hispanic Enterprises, were made by Steve Burke, the NBC Universal chief executive.
Mr. Burke has been leading a process of streamlining NBC Universal’s various units under individual executives. Ms. Hammer will now head all cable entertainment, while Pat Fili-Krushel heads the news operations, Mark Lazarus leads the sports division, and Linda Yaccarino leads all of advertising sales.
