Jennifer Salke named president of NBC Entertainment

NBC has looked west for its next entertainment president — all the way west to Century City.

The Comcast Corp.-owned network, in the midst of a top-to-bottom overhaul, has tapped longtime 20th Century Fox Television executive Jennifer Salke as president of NBC Entertainment. As a studio executive, Salke helped develop the hits “Modern Family” and “Glee.”

Salke is close friends with Bob Greenblatt, who took over the network this year as chairman after cable giant Comcast purchased NBCUniversal from General Electric Co. Greenblatt is charged with reversing years of market-share losses and restoring the fabled network’s programming luster.

Over the last year at Fox, Salke helped shepherd two pilots that have landed on NBC’s schedule next year: the period piece “The Playboy Club” and the midseason series “Awake.”

“There is no one in the television business more perfect for this job than Jennifer Salke,” Greenblatt said in a statement. “I’ve known and worked with her for many years and have the utmost respect for her creative instincts, her relationships with talent of all kinds, and probably most of all, her taste. Her incredible tenure at 20th Century Fox Television, where she was instrumental in developing two of network television’s biggest hits, ‘Glee’ and ‘Modern Family,’ is unmatched.”

Salke, who will report to Greenblatt, will oversee all aspects of prime-time and daytime programming, including comedy and drama development. She declined an interview request through an NBC spokeswoman.

Salke will replace Angela Bromstad, who was pushed out as entertainment president in January shortly after the Comcast merger was finalized. Salke’s hiring had circulated as rumors in Hollywood trade publications for months.

Before working for Fox, Salke did stints at Aaron Spelling Productions, where she worked on series such as “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “Melrose Place,” and Sony Pictures Television.

scott.collins@latimes.com