Teflon Jeff.

Once-dominant NBC has seen its ratings slip in the past couple of years. That didn't stop its parent, the General Electric Co., from naming Jeff Zucker, head of the conglomerate's television group, as president and chief executive of NBC Universal.

Jeff Immelt, who is replacing Bob Wright as chairman of NBC Universal, said that in some ways NBC's travails had helped him settle on Zucker. who worked out of Burbank for years. The network has fallen from first to fourth under his watch.

"He never got down in tough times; he always drove harder," Immelt said at a New York press conference. "He is tough, passionate and the right person to lead."

Wright will remain chairman of the board of NBC Universal until May 1 and Zucker will continue to report to him. After that, Immelt will assume the chairman's position at NBC Universal.

Zucker offered no sweeping vision for the company. He said his priorities are to "keep the momentum we've discovered in primetime" and "make sure that content is available in as many places as possible and that we are getting properly paid for it."

At 41, Zucker is a year younger than Wright was when he first took the reins of NBC in 1986. Immelt credited Wright for transforming it from a standalone broadcast network to a diversified media concern with a film studio, cable networks, a Spanish-language network and theme parks.

"He turned the network into tremendous global entertainment powerhouse," Immelt said. "He did it by seeing around comers and picking up what was next. Financially, GE shareholders have benefited from his stewardship."