NBC Sports’ Schanzer Gets Talent Negotiations Title

Kenneth Schanzer, executive vice president of NBC Sports since 1983 and architect of the division’s novel five-year football contract with the University of Notre Dame, has been given the added title of executive vice president for talent negotiations, NBC President and Chief Executive Robert C. Wright announced.

In the new post, Schanzer will handle on-air talent negotiations for NBC News, NBC Sports and the network’s owned and operated stations. He will retain his duties as day-to-day administrator of NBC Sports. NBC is a unit of General Electric Co.

Besides the Notre Dame deal, estimated at $30 million, Schanzer has been involved in three of NBC’s biggest sports rights contracts ever: the four-year, $752-million pact with the National Football League; the four-year, $600-million deal with the National Basketball Assn. and the $401-million agreement to carry the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. He has also negotiated contracts with NBC Sports broadcasters.

To assist Shanzer, NBC also promoted John C. Ertmann to vice president for negotiations and Gary Zenkel to director of negotiations.