In less than a week, NBC Sports has had two of its most senior members retire. Last week, it was Dick Ebersol, and on Thursday his right-hand man, NBC Sports president Ken Schanzer, announced his own retirement.
This should not come as a surprise; he tried to retire in 2008 and again in 2010 before being talked out of it by longtime friend Ebersol.
The broadcast executive will stick around through the summer to help the new boss, former Turner Sports head Mark Lazarus, settle in as the chairman of NBC Sports after Ebersol left last week. In short, Lazarus will be replacing both TV legends.
Schanzer made it clear to anyone interested that his departure from NBC after 30 years had nothing to do with perceived philosophical differences between the way NBC and its new parent company, Comcast, do business.
“It has been the greatest privilege of my professional career to have contributed to the growth of NBC Sports and to have worked with so many prodigious people,” Schanzer said. “It’s comforting to know that when I leave at the end of the summer, the NBC Sports Group will be in the hands of Mark Lazarus and all the talented people here who have meant so much to me throughout my career.”
Schanzer has not always received credit for what he has done for the network, including the recently extended contract with horse racing’s Triple Crown and the landmark 10-year agreement with the NHL.
He also played a key role in managing NBC Sports’ partnerships with Notre Dame, the PGA Tour and the NFL. Schanzer has led the day-to-day operations of NBC Sports since being named the division’s president in June 1998.
“Ken, who I have known for 15 years, has been one of the most respected and influential sports television executives of the past three decades and is a major reason that the NBC Sports Group is so well positioned for the future,” Lazarus said. “I am pleased that he will remain through the summer as I will regularly seek his counsel as I transition into my new role.”
Examiner columnist Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this!
