NBC News president resigns

NEW YORK, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- NBC News President Neal Shapiro Tuesday announced his resignation.

Shapiro said he was stepping down after about four years at the helm of the News division in a message sent to staff of NBC and MSNBC, TV Week reported on its Web site.

"I'll be here until Sept. 9, and it seems fitting to be spending my final days at work on one of the biggest stories of the year," he wrote, referring to coverage of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.

"For the past few months I've been conferring with (NBC Universal Television Group President) Jeff Zucker on all the promotions and announcements I have made, and I am confident I leave behind an extremely capable and experienced team in the front office and on all our broadcasts."

Zucker named Steve Capus, the former producer of "NBC Nightly News" to step in as acting News division president upon Shapiro's departure, TV Week said.