NBC's Zucker immune to late-night war?

NBC boss Jeff Zucker is to remain with the network despite its late-night timeslot juggling and it remaining last in the ratings, say reports.

The AP claims that Zucker's contract is not up for another three years and insiders believe that that is due to the success of cable networks Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC and USA during his tenure as NBC Universal chairman.

"We're managing for margin, not for ratings. The size of the ratings of a show we cannot afford is not going to do us any good anymore," he said of his management philosophy.

The exec's competitors have taken a different view and acknowledged that they've done very well during 'The Zucker Era'.

"We have to realise that ABC, CBS and Fox have all fared very well during this experimental phase for NBC," said Nina Tassler, CBS entertainment chief. "Ultimately, there is no substitute for developing great shows, working with great talent and getting your programmes on the air."

However, ABC's entertainment president Stephen McPherson admitted that he hopes Zucker can get NBC back to a success.

"We want them to be vibrant and we want them to be a good competitor," he said. "It's kind of like playing for the Yankees, and the Boston Red Sox decide to stop playing baseball."