Another woke network executive cut down in the prime of his career because of excess libido. These poor bastards literally have testosterone seeping out of their pores like a Vermont Maple in the fall.
I bet he's going to be taking a leave of absence to spend more time with his family. If by family you mean his 30-year-old, smoking-hot secretary.
Mrs. Shell spoke directly to the Spritzler Report saying, "I wish Jeff a speedy recovery from his sexual addiction to young coeds. We miss him very much and look forward to welcoming him back into the family...that is after my divorce attorney is done removing his gold fillings".
Ironically, CNBC declined to cover the story...haha.
NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell to Depart After Probe Into Improper Conduct
Executive apologizes for ‘inappropriate relationship’ with a woman at the company
By Joe Flint, WSJ
Updated April 23, 2023 10:30 pm ET
NBCUniversal Chief Executive Jeff Shell is departing after an investigation into a complaint of inappropriate conduct, a stunning fall for an executive who pushed for sweeping changes at the media giant as it entered the streaming era.
Mr. Shell’s exit, effective immediately, was announced Sunday by parent company Comcast Corp., CMCSA 0.03%increase; green up pointing triangle where he has worked for roughly two decades.
“I had an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the company, which I deeply regret,” Mr. Shell said in a statement. “I’m truly sorry I let my Comcast and NBCUniversal colleagues down.” Mr. Shell couldn’t be reached for additional comment.
Comcast launched an investigation soon after the woman lodged a complaint with the company, people familiar with the situation said. She is a veteran journalist at the company, they said.
Many NBCUniversal executives were caught off guard by Mr. Shell’s sudden ouster on Sunday, as only a handful of senior Comcast and NBCUniversal executives were aware of the complaint and investigation, company insiders said.
“We are disappointed to share this news with you. We built this company on a culture of integrity,” Comcast Chief Executive Brian Roberts and President Mike Cavanagh said in a note to staff. “Nothing is more important than how we treat each other. You should count on your leaders to create a safe and respectful workplace. When our principles and policies are violated, we will always move quickly to take appropriate action, as we have done here.”
Mr. Shell’s senior team will now report to Mr. Cavanagh, the letter said. That includes NBCUniversal executives Mark Lazarus, who oversees NBCUniversal’s television and streaming businesses, and Donna Langley, who manages theatrical operations.
Mr. Shell’s departure comes at a critical time for NBCUniversal and Comcast. The company’s Peacock streaming service has made strides, but is still much smaller than the services backed by rivals such as Walt Disney Co. In the fourth quarter, Peacock surpassed 20 million paid customers but lost nearly $1 billion on an adjusted basis, the company said.
Meanwhile, the cable TV business—long a profit engine—continues to erode from cord-cutting. NBCUniversal owns networks such as NBC, Bravo, E! and USA, along with news channel MSNBC. It also owns the Universal film studio and theme parks.
The company is set to announce first-quarter earnings on Thursday. In May, NBCUniversal will make its annual presentation to advertisers for its TV networks and streaming business.
Senior leaders who could be considered as successors to Mr. Shell include Messrs. Cavanagh and Lazarus and Cesar Conde, who heads the NBCUniversal News Group, people familiar with the situation said. Ms. Langley also could be in the mix. A decision isn’t likely to be made in the near future, however, people familiar with the situation said.
Before the complaint, Comcast had been considering moving Mr. Shell out of his NBCUniversal role and into a post at the parent company, people close to the company said.
Early last year, Comcast explored spinning off NBCUniversal and merging it with gaming company Electronic Arts, say people familiar with the discussions. Under one structure that was discussed, Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson would be CEO of the combined venture, they said. The deal didn’t move forward.
Mr. Shell is the second senior executive to be forced out of NBCUniversal in recent years. In 2020, NBCUniversal said it discharged Vice Chairman Ron Meyer after failing to disclose he had paid a settlement to a woman with whom he had a consensual affair several years earlier. Mr. Shell said at that time that Mr. Meyer “acted in a manner which we believe is not consistent with our company policies or values.”
One of the most prominent media executives of the past three decades, Mr. Shell held several senior positions at Comcast over the years, including heading its international unit and the Universal movie studio. He took over the CEO job at NBCUniversal in early 2020 from Comcast veteran Steve Burke.
Colleagues and associates describe Mr. Shell as bright and innovative, but helter-skelter as a manager. He was an outgoing executive who loved to gossip and chitchat with the rank and file, but higher-ups were concerned that he sometimes was loose with information, disclosing plans or business happenings that he wasn’t supposed to.
He earned the nickname “Shooter” early in his career for always shooting out new ideas, though his enthusiasm for them can be short-lived. “He always wants to shake things up,” a longtime colleague told The Wall Street Journal for a 2020 profile of Mr. Shell. “‘What if we do this, what if we do that.’ It’s refreshing, but it can also be overwhelming.”
Mr. Shell came into the job with a mandate to accelerate NBCUniversal’s shift into a new media economy. Streaming was on the rise and tough decisions had to be made about the future of the traditional entertainment business.
Mr. Shell showed he was willing to experiment and toss aside conventional wisdom, even if it meant clashing with partners such as movie-theater chains.
Early in his tenure, when the pandemic forced theaters to close, he saw an opportunity to undertake a major experiment in film distribution, releasing the movie “Trolls World Tour” on a host of digital services rather than waiting for cinemas to reopen.
Later, he spearheaded a major shift in theatrical distribution, ending a longtime arrangement that saw Universal films eventually appear on HBO. Under the new deal, NBCU’s Peacock service would get those movies for multiple stints, with other media players getting them in between.
Mr. Shell, who before becoming CEO had argued internally that Comcast was too cautious about entering the streaming arena, pushed the cable giant to pour more money into Peacock, people close to the company said. He also carried out a far-reaching restructuring that shifted resources toward the service and away from broadcast and cable networks.
Mr. Shell reworked NBCUniversal’s pact with Hulu, in which Comcast is a minority partner, to remove NBC content and put it on Peacock.
The pandemic and corresponding financial headwinds created a high-pressure environment for Mr. Shell as he tried to bring sweeping change to the company. In a 2020 interview, former Comcast and Disney executive Ted Harbert said, “This new crisis makes it hard to pay the electric bill, so now the new CEOs are really sitting up straight.”
—Jessica Toonkel and Amol Sharma contributed to this article.
Write to Joe Flint at Joe.Flint@wsj.com
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