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No. 40

New NBC Chief

One of the most coveted programming posts in television has gone to Scott Sassa, who replaces Warren Littlefield as president of NBC Entertainment.

Sassa, who was head of the network’s television station group and before that built the entertainment cable arm of Turner Broadcasting System, takes the job amid significant turmoil at the network. After several years on top, NBC is struggling to keep its ratings position without such powerhouses as “Seinfeld” or a Sunday football package. Indeed, NBC has seen its ratings fall further this season than any of the other major networks, as it struggles to compete with upstarts like Fox, The WB, an array of cable offerings and the Internet.

Some question whether the network’s focus on bottom-line issues like program ownership and cost containment has dulled its creative edges. Like many of the current breed of TV executives, Sassa who is expected to replace Don Ohlmeyer as president of NBC West Coast is known more as a business strategist than a creative executive.

Karen Teitelman