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Andrew Lack Leaves Broadcasting Board of Governors After 6 Weeks

WASHINGTON — Andrew Lack is leaving his position as chief executive of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the agency announced on Wednesday, one day after it was reported that he was in advanced discussions to return to NBC to lead its news operations.

In a statement, the agency said that André Mendes, the Broadcasting Board of Governors’ director of global operations, would become the interim chief executive immediately. The board, which oversees United States government-supported international news media like Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, is scheduled to meet on Friday to begin looking for a successor to Mr. Lack.

Employees and former employees of the board, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said staff members had been caught off guard by the departure of Mr. Lack. Many believed he possessed the clout and experience to help the agency find its footing in the increasingly crowded field of government-sponsored international broadcasting.

Mr. Lack is known for having rebuilt NBC News and modernized the presentation of television news as president of the unit from 1993 to 2001. He also held top positions at Sony Music Entertainment and the Bloomberg Media Group.

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Andrew Lack, shown in 2010, was president of NBC News from 1993 until 2001.Credit...Phil McCarten/Reuters

His expected return to NBC is part of a broader management shake-up expected at the group after the Brian Williams controversy and other management missteps.

When Mr. Lack was sworn in in January as the chief executive of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the move was widely hailed as a major coup for the agency.

“Andy Lack is the perfect person for the position, given his background as a journalist who has run several major media organizations,” Jeffrey Shell, an NBC executive and chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, said in an interview at the time.

But his abrupt departure becomes the latest in a series of problems at the agency.

Critics have long accused it of floundering while other countries have built competing international media outlets. BBG Watch, a blog that is written in part by current and former agency personnel, has said that the agency’s coverage of major news events is mediocre at best.

Frustrated by what they called a lack of support for United States government policies abroad, members of the House of Representatives passed a bill last year intended to clarify the mission of the Voice of America. The bill is expected to be introduced again because it has bipartisan support.

The bill would revise the news service’s mission statement to specify that it has a role in supporting American “public diplomacy” and policies. The move set off a revolt among staff members, who said the change would affect their editorial independence.

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section B, Page 10 of the New York edition with the headline: U.S. Media Board Chief, in Talks With NBC, Exits. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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