NBC’s Gaspin Front and Center at Press Tour

The Peacock boss will meet the press for the first time Sunday. Wonder if anyone will bring up Jay Leno?

Some big guns have decided to meet the press at this weekend’s semiannual TV Critics Assn. press tour.

NBC has just confirmed that entertainment chairman Jeff Gaspin will appear on stage alongside NBC network scripted chief Angela Bromstad. It will be his first TCA visit since assuming the top job at the network; his absence in August met with grumbling from critics.

Earlier, Fox had confirmed that its entertainment chairman, the ever-chatty Peter Rice, would once again do the buddy act with network entertainment boss Kevin Reilly.

As for the other Big Four networks, Nina Tassler has gone solo the last few press tours, while ABC’s Steve McPherson is also traditionally a one-man show.

NBC’s TCA schedule also hints that there could be news in the next few days on a host for the Jerry Seinfeld reality show, "The Marriage Ref." Our pick for the job: Seinfeld himself.

If he wants this to work, he should put himself on the line, rather than playing the "I’m just a producer card." After all, it’s not like he’s got too much else to do (other than counting the hundreds of millions he made from his last NBC show.)

UPDATE: We incorrectly said NBC reality chief Paul Telegdy would be on-stage for the network’s executive session. Our bad: He won’t. Which makes sense given that the bulk of Sunday’s queries will likely be directed at Gaspin.

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