Ex-NBC Man Reilly Looking Fox-y

He'll still be able to see the Hollywood sign. It'll just be from another corner office.

News Corp. has named ousted NBC exec Kevin Reilly president of entertainment for Fox Broadcasting, reuniting him with his old FX buddy Peter Liguori, who has been promoted to chairman of entertainment at Fox.

Although his nearly four-year tenure as president of NBC Entertainment ended somewhat abruptly in May after a series of costly failures for the Peacock Network, coupled with only one scripted breakout hit (the one with The Cheerleader) and some critically adored yet low-rated comedies, Reilly has been credited with helping usher fan favorites such as The Office, Deal or No Deal and ratings winner Heroes to the small screen.

Reilly was replaced by Ugly Betty and The Office producer Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff, who now serve as cochairmen of NBC Universal Television Studio and NBC Entertainment.

"The television industry has changed more in the last five years than in the past 20," News Corp. chief operating officer Peter Chernin said in a statement. "We need to be structured in a way that puts us in the best position to take advantage of the myriad new opportunities digital technology has afforded the broadcast television business.

"When Peter Liguori approached me with the idea of reteaming with Kevin Reilly, I thought it was a bold move to redefine the structure of the network behind a pair of dynamic executives who have a proven track record of advancing the medium."

Liguori and Reilly served together at FX from 2000 to 2003 as president/CEO and president of entertainment, respectively. During that creatively lucrative period, they helped develop two of the basic cable network's most acclaimed series, The Shield and Nip/Tuck.

"I couldn't be happier to rejoin Peter Chernin and the Fox family and to collaborate again with my good friend Peter Liguori, who shares my view of being competitive by being creatively adventurous," Reilly said.

"I'm thrilled to be working with my good friend Kevin again," Liguori said. "We have complementary strengths, but more importantly, we have fun working together and we enjoy sharing that spirit with the rest of the team. Fox is television's premier brand and I am excited to take on a role that requires more long-term strategic vision at a time when Fox has the opportunity to become an even bigger force in this quickly evolving media landscape."

Fox, of course, is home to the biggest show on TV, American Idol, and the award-winning dramas House and 24, which suffered both a drop in quality and viewership this past season. Otherwise the network is largely known for The Simpsons, which is nearly two decades old, and is no longer a ratings juggernaut. Fox currently airs 15 hours of prime-time programming a week.

All of which Reilly will be tackling soon, apparently, if in fact he hasn't already been getting his hands dirty.

Fox had no comment as to whose decision it was, but production on the seventh season of 24 has been postponed after producers scuttled the entire story line, which would have involved filming a few episodes in Africa, per TV Guide.

Mary Lynn Rajskub, who plays pouty—and pregnant—computer whiz Chloe, told the magazine's Website that the studio is "going crazy."

"We usually start [shooting] at the end of July, and I don't think we're starting until a couple of weeks into August now. It's kind of exciting, because I think [the delay] means that they're really having to dig in there and come up with new stuff," the actress said.

Meanwhile, Craig Erwich, executive VP of programming at Fox, has resigned. Erwich, who reportedly has his eye out for new opportunities elsewhere, was an early champion of 24, Prison Break and The O.C.