Date: 03-05-2008
General Electric's chief executive Jeffrey Immelt is bringing back Beth Comstock, NBC Universal's media boss, to head GE's marketing and digital media. The move follows Comstock's two-year stint with the television company. Comstock's NBC duties will now be handled by three executives who will report to Salil Mehta, president of business operations and strategy, NBC Universal said. ''Beth did a great job defining and growing NBC Universal's digital efforts,'' Immelt said in a statement. ''I want her to use the same approach to drive digital excellence across GE.'' Sources say, however, that Comstock's appointment as the digital chief has been bitterly resented and that she has been criticized for her lack of digital expertise. Comstock's decision at NBC Universal to purchase iVillage for an eye-popping figure of $600 million only fed the fire, sources added.
