Meredith Ahr Out as President of NBC Entertainment’s Alternative and Reality Group

Joe Otterson
·2 min read

Meredith Ahr is out as president of NBC Entertainment’s Alternative and Reality Group, Variety has confirmed.

Ahr’s exit comes a little over two months after the exit of NBC Entertainment head Paul Telegdy over accusations of racist, sexist and homophobic behavior. Ahr and Telegdy were known to work closely together at NBC, with Ahr accused of going along withor even encouraging Telegdy as he engaged in those behaviors.

Mark Lazarus, NBCUniversal’s chairman of television and streaming, promised staffers that the company would engage in an investigation into the allegations as well as undergo a “broader cultural assessment” through their fair employment unit going forward.

Ahr was named president of the Alternative and Reality Group back in 2018. In that role, she oversaw all aspects of unscripted programming at the broadcast network, Universal Television Alternative Studio, and first-run syndication. She became president of Universal Television Alternative Studio in 2016 to launch and build the studio.

Her career at NBC began in 2001 when she joined the network as a page in New York. She made her way to Los Angeles in 2004 via the NBC Entertainment Associates Program, where she was placed in the Alternative Programming division.

This is the latest high-level executive shakeup at NBCUniversal in recent months as CEO Jeff Shell looks to streamline the company for the streaming era. Frances Berwick was recently named head of NBCU’s television entertainment business, while longtime Warner Bros. Television executive Susan Rovner has been placed in charge of original content for NBCU’s streaming platforms and linear networks.

Rovner is expected to announce her new team of direct reports in the near future, and is currently assessing the organizational structure that she wants to create, according to a source familiar with the situation. Ahr’s old duties are likely to be restructured accordingly.

The Hollywood Reporter first broke the news of Ahr’s exit.

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