NBC Sports Group President JON LITNER is leaving the company after a decade running its RSN group. The move, which takes effect at the end of the year, comes as a surprise. Litner does not have another job lined up, and NBC has not identified a replacement for the sports media veteran. In an email sent to NBC Sports Group employees this morning, Chair MARK LAZARUS wrote, “A while back, Jon and I began discussing the future, and he expressed to me a desire to create another professional chapter for himself. After further conversations over the past few weeks, Jon has decided to leave the company at the end of the year.” In that same email, Litner wrote: “I will become a free agent for the first time in two decades. After a break to reconnect with my family, I look forward to taking up a new leadership role down the road in this dynamic age of sports and entertainment media. Until then, I will act as an advisor to Mark Lazarus as needed and work with him to ensure an orderly transition.” Litner said that he has spent the past four years commuting between Comcast’s hometown of Philadelphia and NBC Sports Group’s HQ in Stamford, Conn. Litner was the top exec negotiating local media deals with various teams. Most recently, he reached a handshake agreement for the Wizards' and Capitals' rights that run through '32. NBC under Litner has sewed up most of its local sports deals -- the next big one is the Cubs, a team whose rights expire in '19. His NBC Sports Group stint of 10 years is the longest he has stayed in one place professionally, a resume that includes stops at ABC, the NHL and SNY. “Jon is more of a builder than a caretaker,” one NBC insider said.
