Menu
Download the app

SBJ subscribers – Enhance your experience with the revamped iOS app

People and Pop Culture

Behind The Scenes At NBC: Jim Bell Told To Choose Between "Today," Olympics

Sunday’s N.Y. TIMES MAGAZINE cover story offers an excerpt from author BRIAN STELTER's upcoming book, "Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV,” which looks at the recent turmoil around NBC’s “TODAY” show. After the departure of ANN CURRY, "many NBC executives were coming around to the idea that it was the show that ‘didn’t work.’” NBCUniversal CEO STEVE BURKE began to clean up “Today” and put NBC News, MSNBC and CNBC into one division under the management of NBCUniversal Chair PAT FILI-KRUSHEL, "one of his most trusted executives." Fili-Krushel “wanted to make the show move faster and make its set feel warmer and friendlier." She also "wanted to replace its producer." About a month after the '12 London Games ended, Fili-Krushel met with NBC Olympics Coverage Exec Producer JIM BELL and “told him that he had a choice.” He could produce “Today” or he could produce future Olympics broadcasts, “but he couldn’t do both.” If Bell stayed at “Today,” Fili-Krushel said he needed to “do some soul searching.” Fili-Krushel told him to "decide if you have the energy to evolve this show.” Bell “held on for weeks, even while Fili-Krushel and NBC News President STEVE CAPUS started to consider candidates for his job." Eventually, he "chose the Olympics.” Stelter notes Bell “disputes this account,” and “says he chose to focus on the Olympics independently" (N.Y. TIMES MAGAZINE, 4/21 issue).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2013/04/24/People-and-Pop-Culture/NBC-Today.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2013/04/24/People-and-Pop-Culture/NBC-Today.aspx

CLOSE