NBC News President Steps Down
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NBC News President Neal Shapiro will step aside on September 9 after four years of running programs including the “Dateline” and “Today” shows, which both are losing viewers.
NBC, owned by Fairfield, Conn.-based General Electric, appointed “NBC Nightly News” executive producer Steven Capus as acting president of NBC News, the president of NBC Universal Television Jeffrey Zucker said yesterday in an e-mail memo to staffers that was confirmed by a spokeswoman, Allison Gollust. The company is looking for a permanent successor for Mr. Shapiro, he said.
The departure of Mr. Shapiro, 47, comes amid a morning- and primetime ratings slide at NBC. In the past year, “Today,” where Mr. Zucker was an executive producer for six years, has lost viewers to ABC’s “Good Morning America.” NBC’s evening news magazine “Dateline” has also lost viewers this year, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Mr. Shapiro in a e-mail to colleagues said he didn’t know whether he’d stay at NBC Universal or seek work elsewhere.