004 ë glq111.4) NBC Productions folds into entertainment Ohlmeyer calls it next phase in team concept

By Steve Coe mance of an entire slate of shows." motion pictures for television team will John Agoglia, president, NBC now be responsible for development In an effort to increase efficiency, Enterprises, and Michael Zinberg, and production and managing in -house and in keeping with the entertain- president, creative affairs, NBC Pro- series producers and writers as well as ment division's "team concept," ductions, will continue to oversee all existing production companies. NBC is dismantling NBC Productions production through NBC Productions Rick Ludwin, senior vice president, and folding its units into the entertain- until the restructuring is complete. specials variety programs and late night, ment division. The network says the Zinberg, who spent two years at the NBC Entertainment, will continue to restructuring will occur over a six - helm of NBC Productions, will con- oversee all late -night programing and month period. centrate on late -night programing pro- development. Zinberg will supervise the Last July, NBC restructured the duction and will develop new produc- production of late -night programing. entertainment division by combining tion through his Zinberg Co., in which Saturday morning activities at NBC its programing and development NBC has a financial interest. Productions will become a separate departments, then splitting the com- Under the new design, prime time unit reporting to John Miller, executive bined group into two teams. The struc- series executives at NBC Productions vice president, advertising and promo- ture was designed to allow executives will constitute a separate team report- tion and special event programing, to work on a series from its inception ing to Jamie McDermott, senior vice NBC Entertainment. through its network run. president, prime time series, NBC The production and business opera- "Last July we implemented the 'team' Entertainment. Producers of prime tions activities at NBC Productions concept in our entertainment division, time series who were working under will be integrated into production and and the results have been impressive," deals with NBC Productions will business operations, NBC West Coast, says Don Ohlmeyer, president, NBC become part of McDermott's team. under Jerry Petry, senior vice presi- West Coast. "We are now executing Long -form programing executives at dent. NBC Productions executives phase two of that restructuring, integrat- NBC Productions will become a sepa- responsible for post -production, pro- ing the NBC programing and NBC Pro- rate team reporting to Lindy DeKoven, duction finance and administration will ductions creative departments into busi- senior vice president, miniseries and operat under the new NBC Studio Ser- ness units, where each unit is responsible motion pictures for television, NBC vices division, which will operate for development, production and perfor- Entertainment. The miniseries and under Petry's larger division.

S Y N D I C A T I O N M A R K E T P L A C E

Big Bart tem from such notables as CBS oversee advertising and promotion of newsman Mike Wallace, Judge such shows as Roseanne, Cybill and Twentieth Television's The Simpsons Robert Bork and Manson family Grace Under Fire. Previously, Weiss was the highest -rated new strip of the prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi. handled advertising campaigns for 1994 -95 season, according to such hits as Home Improvement, Nielsen's metered -market survey. Shaw upped at BVT Golden Girls, Empty Nest and Dis- Fox's animation powerhouse aver- ney's syndicated movies. aged a 7.2 rating and 13 share from Michael E. Shaw, Buena Vista Tele- Sept. 19, 1994, through Sept. 8, 1995, vision's senior vice president of with an average 29% lead -in gain. The advertising sales, has been named Olympic effort Simpsons' closest competitor among executive vice president of the divi- San Francisco -based GGP will pro- sion he formed in 1991. BVT Presi- new strips was Fresh Prince of Bel - duce an hour syndicated holiday Air, which averaged a 5.7/11 and an dent Mort Marcus credits Shaw with special with athletes and celebrities average 21% lead -in gain. helping BVT to add family and adult competing in a variety of sports to programing to its core children's ani- raise money for the U.S. Olympic Simpson special mation business and expanding Team. Hawaiian Holiday Sports BVT's reach by handling ad sales for Dove Audio Inc., publisher of a num- Spectacular will be shot at a resort non -BTV series Roseanne, Matlock ber of titles on the O.J. Simpson on Oahu, Hawaii. Participants and In the Heat of the Night. murder case, is working on a TV spe- include 1995 U.S. Open champ Pete cial with five dismissed Simpson Sampras, track star Carl Lewis, jurors for possible syndication when Weiss moves to C -W rocker Stephen Stills and actors the Simpson jury goes into delibera- Dan Weiss has moved across town Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper. tions. Tentatively titled The Verdict: from Buena Vista Television to GGP is offering the special, to air Justice on Trial, the documentary- Carsey -Wemer Distribution. Weiss between Nov. 22 and Jan. 1, on an style program also will feature com- joins Carsey -Werner as vice presi- even barter split of 6 1/2 minutes mentary on the criminal justice sys- dent, creative services, where he'll national, 6 1/2 local.

Broadcasting & Cable September 18 1995 33