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NBC elevates Sassa
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October 26, 1998: 8:29 p.m. ET
Peacock network taps new entertainment chief; Sassa seen succeeding Ohlmeyer
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Faced with a rare challenge to its ratings supremacy following "Seinfeld's" sign-off and the loss of pro football games, NBC on Monday named Scott Sassa head of entertainment, positioning him as heir apparent to West Coast president Don Ohlmeyer next year.
The 39-year-old Sassa will replace Warren Littlefield, whose 20 years in programming makes him one of the longest-standing executives in television.
The reshuffle at General Electric Co.'s NBC -- its first major executive shake-up since 1993 -- comes at a time when the once-dominant peacock network is mired in a ratings battle which seemed unimaginable just a short time ago, when the network led the ratings race with such prime-time comedies as "Seinfeld," "Friends," "Mad About You" and "Veronica's Closet," and dramas like "ER" and "Law and Order."
In the past year, however, the ratings bonanza has sputtered, keyed by the loss of NBC's top-rated Thursday night anchor, "Seinfeld." General Electric, which purchased NBC during its ratings heyday, is keen on restoring the network's double-digit revenue growth.
NBC has suffered the sharpest ratings declines among any of its peers so far this year.
Upon Sassa's accession, Littlefield, whose contract extended through 2001, will relinquish his executive title as president of entertainment. But he will remain on as head of a joint venture in which he will continue to produce entertainment shows for NBC through a yet-to-be created production company.
Sassa, 39, who was brought to NBC two years ago after presiding over Turner Broadcasting's entertainment operation, is expected initially to assume Littlefield's day-to-day managerial responsibilities. He is expected ultimately, however, to assume Ohlmeyer's mantle when the top entertainment executive steps down.
"Don has decided that he wants to move on to do something different with NBC at the end of his contract and Warren wanted to move on and do production," NBC President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Wright said Monday.
"We're naming Scott to this position so that we have a transition plan when the time comes for Don to move on. Scott's got that rare mix of creative talent and business acumen, which makes him extremely well-suited to work with Don and follow his footsteps."
Since his arrival at NBC less than two years ago, Sassa helped usher the network onto the World Wide Web and has been instrumental in charting a path toward high-definition digital television.
NBC executives are counting on Sassa to bring this innovating spirit to bear in reviving a network that has suffered a string of ratings setbacks. Earlier this year, NBC agreed to pay $13 million an episode for "ER," the largest sum paid in television history for a single show.
Reports have surfaced that GE has been trying to shop NBC around, hoping to fetch as much as $15 billion for the network. But with ratings as rickety as they are, industry insiders assert the network may have to settle for a spin-off or a strategic alliance.
In the meantime, NBC earlier this month ceased negotiating with studios for new scripts or pilot shows unless it is granted an ownership stake in any series it airs.
During his early years at NBC in the 1980s under entertainment chief Brandon Tartikoff, Littlefield was a creative force behind such popular hits as "The Cosby Show," "Hill Street Blues" and "Cheers."
After Jerry Seinfeld decided to drop the curtain on his smash series earlier this year, NBC, desperate to maintain ratings in the coveted Thursday prime-time slot, moved another popular series, "Frazier," from Tuesday to Thursday nights. Rather than boosting the network's fortunes, however, the shift ended up lowering ratings on both nights.
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NBC
General Electric
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