Bonnie Hammer, a legendary TV executive who has had a hand in popular programs ranging from “This Old House” and “Zoom” to “Monk” and “Mr.
Hammer has been with NBCU since 2004, when Universal Television, once part of Barry Diller’s entertainment empire, merged with the NBC portfolio.
The decision not to renew her contract is hers, according to these people, and not tied to the decision revealed this week to spin off the bulk of NBCU’s cable assets into a separate company.
Before she moved to New York City, however, Hammer shook things up in Boston during an early stage of her career.
She would work with a number of prominent TV executives and producers, including Frances Berwick, Jeff Wachtel and Chris McCumber.
TV executive Bonnie Hammer is renowned for her contributions to popular shows like “This Old House,” “Zoom,” “Monk,” and “Mr. Two people with knowledge of the situation say that Robot intends to step down as vice chairman of NBCUniversal at the end of the year, following the expiration of her current contract with the organization.
Hammer joined NBCU in 2004 following the merger of NBC and Universal Television, which had previously been a part of Barry Diller’s entertainment conglomerate. She has been in the TV industry for about 50 years, working for both Lifetime and WGBH, Boston’s public television station. She worked on the launch of NBCU’s Peacock streaming service and assisted in coordinating the merger of some of the company’s major TV production studio assets.
These individuals assert that she has the right to decide not to extend her contract, and that this decision is unrelated to the one made this week to spin off the majority of NBCU’s cable assets into a different business.
Executives from NBCUniversal were not available for comment.
Hammer is best known for her lengthy tenure as the head of NBCU’s general-entertainment cable networks, where her team introduced a variety of popular “blue skies” series with upbeat protagonists that contrasted with a wide range of gritty shows at FX and HBO, where flawed anti-heroes anchored shows like “The Sopranos” and “The Shield.”. Executives at NBCU’s USA cable network introduced shows like “Psych,” “Burn Notice,” and “Royal Pains.”. A 13-year run as the most-watched entertainment-focused cable network coincided with Hammer’s tenure as USA’s head.
But in the early years of her career, Hammer made waves in Boston before relocating to New York City. She worked for the Boston PBS affiliate, WGBH, and contributed to groundbreaking public television shows like “This Old House” and the children’s show “Zoom.”. She would go on to executive produce “Good Day!” the local ABC affiliate’s morning news show.
Hammer worked on documentaries at Lifetime before rising through the ranks at NBCU. She later worked for Diller at Universal Television, where she managed a fledgling cable network called the Sci-Fi Channel and helped improve the popularity and fortunes of the former World Wrestling Federation.
She would collaborate with several well-known TV producers and executives, such as Chris McCumber, Jeff Wachtel, and Frances Berwick. Hammer established herself as a photographer as well, and the Boston Globe and the Los Angeles Times, among other publications, have featured her work.
