Posted on Wed, Sep. 07, 2005
Temple grad Steve Capus takes the helm at NBC News
By Gail Shister
Inquirer Columnist
An Owl is running the Peacock.
Steve Capus, a Temple alum and Warminster lad, yesterday was named acting president of NBC News. He replaces embattled Neal Shapiro, who resigned effective Friday.
Shapiro, news division chief since '01 and a 12-year NBC veteran, had been asking off the presidency since May. No word whether he'll stick around NBC News, but smart money says no.
Shapiro, Capus and NBC Universal TV czar Jeff Zucker were all Ziplocked yesterday.
Capus was promoted to NBC News senior vice president in June. He scored major points last week with his coordination of NBC's Hurricane Katrina coverage. (Shapiro was on vacation.)
Capus, 41, a William Tennent High School grad, joined NBC in '93 after producing stints at WCAU and KYW. In '01, he was named executive producer of NBC Nightly News, with Tom Brokaw, then Brian Williams.
No timetable for NBC to name a permanent successor, but the highly regarded Capus is expected to be on the network's short list.
Shapiro's resignation was no surprise. His laid-back style never really meshed with that of alpha male Zucker.
Some of the troops criticized Shapiro's leadership for waiting so long before taking charge of the increasingly tense situation at Today, whose 10-year dominance is being threatened by ABC's Good Morning America.
NBC's single most important cash cow, Today generates more than $250 million in profit a year. Like Zucker's, Capus' roots are there - he was supervising producer in '95.
"It gives me great confidence to know that Steve will be at the helm while we navigate these complicated times," Zucker said in a staff memo. "... He has touched almost every part of the division," having worked at numerous NBC broadcasts, MSNBC, and NBC News Channel.
Shapiro, 48, spearheaded the seamless anchor transition of Tom Brokaw to Brian Williams in December. He came to NBC in '93 as executive producer of Dateline NBC after a 13-year tenure at ABC.
In a staff memo, Shapiro said he questioned whether he would "find the next few years as personally fulfilling as the first four" of his presidency, and that he was "missing the opportunity for the kind of creativity" he'd had in previous positions.
"Reflecting on all of this, I've concluded that it's time to move on to a new challenge."
Where's 'Nightline'?Nightline's special Sunday broadcast about Hurricane Katrina ran for 60 minutes, but WPVI viewers saw only the first 30.
Because of an "unintentional" missed communication with ABC, 'PVI began its "Million Dollar Movie," '96 crime thriller A Kiss So Deadly, starring DeDee Pfeiffer, at midnight instead of 12:30 a.m., says Channel 6 rep Caroline Welch.
ABC informed its affiliates Friday that there would be a special 30-minute Nightline at 11:30 p.m. Sunday, Welch says. (ABC confirms this.)
Once Nightline producers realized they had enough material for a full hour, ABC put out an advisory Sunday morning alerting stations it would go 60 minutes, says Nightline rep Emily Lenzner.
"Considering that it was a holiday weekend, it's understandable if WPVI didn't see this notice," she says.
'PVI's master control room was fully staffed Sunday night, according to Welch. It's still not clear how no one discerned that Nightline clearly wasn't over at midnight.
"It shouldn't have happened, and we're looking into how it happened and where the breakdown was," Welch says. "... It was completely unintentional. We recognize that it was an important program."
The station received about a dozen calls and two dozen e-mails, Welch says.
Sunday's show was anchored from Washington by White House ace Terry Moran. (Ted Koppel was en route to Katrina-ravaged New Orleans.)
FYI: The last time Nightline did a Sunday broadcast was Sept. 16, 2001, following 9/11, ABC says.
http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/nbc/shapiro_steps_down_jeff_zucker_names_steve_capus_acting_president_of_nbc_news_25532.asp
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001055038