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NBC thinks reporters are really stupid
Posted by Fired Fred on July 17, 2007 4:58 PM
I've got a mild chuckle for you today. It's about ex-NBC co-chairman Kevin Reilly. He had his job at NBC for a few weeks. Then all of a sudden he's at Fox and Ben Silverman has his job at NBC.
The bastard media, and I mean that in the most positive way, had some fun tormenting Benji over the circumstances of his NBC arrival...
The opening question tossed out to newly installed entertainment co-chairman: “What do you think about a company that pays an executive $6 million and fires him a month later?� The questioning reporter then added, “Is that a good company?�Just think, Kevin could have sat around 30 Rock playing Solitaire on his PC every day, if you can believe NBC. That must have been awkward, Kevin comes to work, Benji's stealing his loose change from the desk drawer and dropping Kevin's personal effects into a wastebasket, some words are exchanged at an ear-splitting volume.
Mr. Silverman was taken aback, but he managed to stay on message, gamely saying he had only just arrived and couldn’t address the regime of his predecessor, Kevin Reilly […]
[Silverman’s co-chair Marc] Graboff didn’t exactly offer a surfeit of candor about their predecessor, either.
“Let me address that if I could,� Mr. Graboff said in a helpful and serious tone, “because I think you’re obviously referring to Kevin Reilly, and I just want to kind of hit that on the head a bit. He wasn’t fired.�
The press room perked up, eager for clarification.
“What happened was when Ben became available, about three months after we made Kevin’s new deal, we jumped at the opportunity to bring Ben on board to the company. Kevin, when that happened, realized or determined, frankly, that there was just no role for him at the company and decided to move on.�
At this, the entire press corps burst into laughter.
Anyone at NBC happen to get this on a camera phone and put it on YouTube? That's the best ratings potential NBC has in its lineup this year.