NBC President and CEO, Jeff Zucker, gave an exclusive, eye-opening interview to news talk show host Charlie Rose on his PBS series The Charlie Rose Show yesterday.

In the throws of a vicious, messy negotiation between NBC and Conan for Conan’s exit package (said to be a payout of around $35 million), Zucker has been scoffed at, berated and wholly blamed for the demise of the once golden peacock network both online by fans of Conan and Leno and in the media by journalists, pundits and bloggers.  Indeed, there doesn’t seem to be one Zucker supporter (except NBC executive Dick Ebersol who came out swinging in defense of his boss last week by calling Conan chicken-hearted).

Charlie Rose is a brilliant and fearless interviewer.  We hold him and his work in the highest regard here at Art of Talk.  He is legendary and fierce in a way that only many years of experience and wisdom can bring.  He is a master storyteller.  Case in point, Rose’s first question to Zucker not only immediately sets the for the rest of the interview, it puts Zucker on notice that he will not be handled with kid-gloves while reflecting the general negative sentiment of the country (yes, the entire country and parts of Canada and Mexico) towards Zucker and his misguided decisions.  Asks Rose out of the gate:

“Here is the storyline.  You took over as NBC entertainment head in 2000 after being very successful as the Executive Producer of NBC News.  Things have gone downhill for NBC and it’s now in shambles.  What is it that you want to say about that experience?”

What proceeds is a half hour of Mr. Zucker defending the network (rattling of its successes, dedicated staff and talent-making making abilities) while glossing over its losses, defeats and complete meltdown.  In between denials and defenses of bad decisions is a lot of stuttering in the fact of Rose’s brutally pointed questions.  His emphatic statements of “no regrets” is the cherry on this half-baked cake.

He admits that, in the face of death threats and scorn, he sees the vitriol with which people (including joe-public) are attacking him is overkill.  It’s this very lack of understanding about the heart and soul of the audience that his Zucker’s biggest failure — and it’s something that can’t be taught.

As far as him receiving death threats, I believe his death-threats assertions are “overkill”.  Besides, Zucker is a suit.  The chief architect suit at NBC.  For Zucker, death threats are a part of the job.  See the entire interview here.

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