SHOWBIZ: Comcast Exec To Helm NBC

ASSOCIATED PRESS: Comcast Chief Operating Officer Steve Burke [NOT pictured, above] will succeed Jeff Zucker as CEO of NBC Universal later this year, when Comcast takes control of the broadcaster. Burke, 52, was seen as a likely successor to Zucker. He first joined Philadelphia-based Comcast in 1998 as president of Comcast Cable. He is credited with leading Comcast’s delivery of video on demand, which was introduced in 2003. He has also been president of ABC Broadcasting and president and chief operating officer of Euro Disney SA. Burke inherits a struggling fourth-place network in need of change. The network’s news division and late-night programming have remained strong but its prime-time lineup has weakened since its 1990s dominance in the “Must-See TV” era of comedy hits “Friends” and “Seinfeld.” MORE