NBC replaces head of comedy in the week of turmoil exec (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - NBC Friday appointed a new head of comedy in the second shake-up in as many days of sick television network executives.

NBC, now under the control of the cable Comcast Corp., the company said Tal Rabinowitz, a senior vice president of the Sony Pictures Television comedy, will replace Jeff Ingold, Executive Vice President, programming for the comedy.

Ingold left NBC after nine years at the company.

This announcement follows the resignation sudden Thursday sports veteran programming Executive Dick Ebersol, who oversaw NBC Olympic coverage for more than 20 years.

Rabinowitz has contributed to the development award-winning comedy-drama of the cable channel Showtime "the big C" and comedy "happy endings" and "Reba".

NBC entertainment President Robert Greenblatt, who joined the network in January under the agreement of Comcast, said Rabinowitz was "one of the most intelligent frameworks, more brilliant comedy in the company, which is also universally adopted by writers"", producers, agents and talent".

"It is exactly the kind of creative Executive to guide our development of comedy as we chart the future of NBC," Greenblatt said in a statement.

Rabinowitz will oversee all aspects of programming for the NBC comedy, coming into force early in June.

NBC was languish for many years at the bottom of the four major TV networks as it struggles to find new hits to replace comedies of the 1990s as "seinfeld," "Friends" and "frasier."

Greenblatt Sunday announced six new comedies and six new drama for NBC for the upcoming season of 2011-2012, and in a conference call with reporters that he was eager to make major changes in the schedule to prime time network clearly.

NBC cancelled New comedies "Outsourced" and "Perfect Couples" after a season, while "the Paul reiser Show" was broadcast for only two episodes in April before they are deleted.

The network is currently about 15% in primetime in the 18-49 demographic most coveted by advertisers, compared to its Olympic Winter fueled season 2009-2010 TV ratings.

(Reported by Jill Serjeant: mounting by Alex Dobuzinskis)

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