Silverman, Graboff to lead NBC

Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff have been appointed co-chairmen of NBC Entertainment and NBC Universal Television Studio.

Silverman, the executive producer of hits including The Office and Ugly Betty, and Graboff, currently president of NBC's west coast-based TV unit, will replace Kevin Reilly who is leaving NBC Universal by mutual agreement.

Jeff Zucker, NBC Universal's president and CEO, said: "We are extremely thrilled to have Ben on board. After years of working with him as an agent, a supplier to both our broadcast and cable networks, and as a producer, we’ve come to know him as one of the most savvy and successful executives in the industry. I always thought this was the right job for Ben. This new role will give him the opportunity to redefine our programming, our relationship with advertisers, and our ongoing commitment to the new digital frontier.

"Marc is a proven and respected executive whose wealth of expertise in so many divisions will continue to be a huge plus in this realignment. He has superb business acumen and an instinctive grasp of our expanding company and its multiple platforms, and is positioning NBC for the future. Marc and Ben have a long and successful history of working together that gives us tremendous confidence in the strength of this new partnership."

Of the departing Reilly, Zucker added: "Kevin has given us some incredibly important, high-quality new series in recent years, and his legacy will be evident for many years to come in NBC’s primetime schedule. I want to thank him for all of his efforts on behalf of the company."