NAB: NBC Affils Board Gets Taste of Development Under Comcast

Complete NAB 2011 Coverage

NBC's affiliate board meeting in Vegas April 12 was the first with owner Comcast on board, and NBC Broadcasting Chairman Ted Harbert was in attendance. Chaired by Brian Lawlor, the senior VP of television at Scripps, the meeting was a precursor to the annual network-affiliate wingding held in New York next month.

"Our board continues to get to know our new network management team," said Lawlor via email. "We continue to be impressed with their commitment to broadcasting and their strong desire to grow the network."

The NBC board got a sampling of a number of shows in development geared toward awakening NBC's long dormant primetime. Lawlor said the program crop at least looked promising. "The story lines, writers and actors are impressive," he said. "Time will obviously tell, but we are excited by the investment and focus."

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.