MUMBAI: With $43 billion merger deal with Vivendi Universal Entertainment likely to be finalised in a few months time, NBC is all set to take on new challenges. In an attempt to fine-tune itself, the company has already started shuffling its management.

The entertainment division president Jeff Zucker has been appointed as president of entertainment, news and cable group. He will now be overlooking entertainment on NBC and Bravo, prime time entertainment on Telemundo, and news for NBC News, MSNBC and CNBC.
 
 
Randy Falco, the hitherto president of NBC Television Network, will now join in as the group president. He will also be taking control of NBC's holdings in the Telemundo Spanish-language television network, say media reports.

Media reports also inform that although the company is awaiting approval from the Federal Trade Commission, it is likely that the final approval should come in March or April.

The division of duties between Zucker and Falco is along the lines of programming and operations. While Zucker will look at the new NBC Universal profile including Trio, USA and Sci Fi, Randy Falco, the commercial and operational counterpart, will also take responsibility for the Telemundo Network under the new structure.

The NBC chairman Robert C Wright will take over the management control of the NBC-Universal enterprise.

Finally Jay Ireland, who oversees NBC's 14 owned-and-operated stations, will also control the 15 Telemundo owned-and-operated stations, say the media reports.

The new assignments are a mix of the responsibilities once held by Andrew Lack, the NBC president who left the network in January to take over Sony Music Entertainment.