Comcast's Burke taps two veteran programmers to lead the NBC network

Comcast's Steve Burke is putting the finishing touches on his management team to take over NBC Universal and has tapped two veteran programmers -- Robert Greenblatt and Ted Harbert -- to lead the troubled NBC broadcast network.

Greenblatt, 50, the recently departed head of programming at Showtime, is credited with turning around the perennial also-ran by using a gallery of morally twisted characters in shows such as "Weeds" and "Dexter." He left the premium channel in July when his contract ended.

Harbert, who runs Comcast's Los Angeles-based channels including E!, is expected to be offered responsibility for the business side of the network, including advertising sales and affiliate relations. Harbert, 55, was an ABC programming executive during the 1990s and ran NBC's television production studio for several years before joining Comcast in 2004. Under Harbert, E! has bolstered its programming with the reality series "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" and the talk show "Chelsea Lately" starring Chelsea Handler, whom Harbert dated. Harbert became the leading candidate for the job in the last three weeks, after conversations with former CBS executive Nancy Tellem fell apart.