Former NBC News president Steve Capus is joining CBS News as the executive producer of “CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley” and executive editor of the news division. He will begin in his new role in July.
Capus was president of NBC News for eight years, from 2005 to 2013. Before that he was executive producer of “NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw” and later Brian Williams from May 2001 to June 2005. At CBS, he replaces Patrica Shevlin who is joining “60 Minutes.”
“The Evening News is an excellent broadcast, and we believe under Steve’s leadership it will get even better,” Jeff Fager, CBS News chairman said in a statement. “He is a real pro with an extraordinary record, and we are fortunate to have him joining us at CBS News.”
Capus will be the third “Evening News” EP in three years. Shevlin oversaw the show when Pelley joined as anchor in 2011. Before that, Rick Kaplan was EP of the show for four years, when it was the “CBS Evening News with Katie Couric.” A few years earlier, Kaplan worked for Capus at NBC News when Kaplan was president of MSNBC. And in a further show of how small the TV news world really is, Kaplan replaced Rome Hartman as EP of “Evening News.” Hartman was later hired by Capus at NBC News to launch “Rock Center.”
Capus will now be competing head-to-head against his friend and former NBC colleague Brian Williams. Capus also produced Williams’ MSNBC show in the late 1990s before moving up the ranks at NBC News.
The release and Rhodes’ note are after the jump.
STEVE CAPUS JOINS CBS NEWS AS EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
OF THE “CBS EVENING NEWS WITH SCOTT PELLEY”
AND EXECUTIVE EDITOR OF CBS NEWS
Longtime news executive Steve Capus has joined CBS News as Executive Producer for the CBS EVENING NEWS WITH SCOTT PELLEY and Executive Editor, CBS News. The appointment is effective July 7.
Capus will bring his multi-platform expertise and decades of news industry insight to CBS News, where he will manage the fastest-growing network evening news broadcast. In his role as Executive Editor of CBS News, he will serve as a resource to all units of CBS News and as a strategist for the management team. Capus will report directly to CBS News President David Rhodes.
“The EVENING NEWS is an excellent broadcast, and we believe under Steve’s leadership it will get even better,” said CBS News Chairman and 60 MINUTES Executive Producer Jeff Fager. “He is a real pro with an extraordinary record, and we are fortunate to have him joining us at CBS News.”
“Steve will make the EVENING NEWS more competitive than ever and will make our management team stronger than ever,” said Rhodes. “He will be a great resource for colleagues on the EVENING NEWS and around the organization.”
“I am thrilled to be joining CBS News and to have the opportunity to collaborate with some of our profession’s most talented journalists. It is every producer’s dream to be part of a dedicated, hard-working team that produces an outstanding broadcast like the CBS EVENING NEWS WITH SCOTT PELLEY,” Capus said. “At the heart of CBS News is a group of inspiring, enterprising people led by the outstanding team of David Rhodes and Jeff Fager. Simply put, it is an honor to be asked to assist Scott and the CBS News team in its daily pursuits and to help forge a plan for its long-term, strategic growth.”
“Everyone at the EVENING NEWS is excited about the opportunity to work with Steve,” said Pelley, Anchor and Managing Editor of the broadcast. “The breadth of his experience is unmatched. His principles, values and leadership make him an ideal fit.”
Currently, Capus is Executive in Residence at IESE Business School, where he is involved in numerous business and innovation educational programs, a role that he will continue to perform.
Previously, Capus was President of NBC News for eight years and Executive Producer of “NBC Nightly News” for four years. During his career, he has been the producer of some of the most successful hard-news broadcasts on television. He had oversight of MSNBC, NBCNews.com digital and mobile properties, and NBC News radio. He was responsible for broadcast, digital, cable production and distribution, as well as talent, newsgathering and international partnerships.
Capus’ tenure at NBC News was marked by years of robust ratings and business performance. He expanded the network by designing specialty websites targeted towards black and Latino audiences, and helped negotiate an agreement buying out Microsoft’s stake in NBC News’ online news ventures. He also created and established the NBC News Education Nation and NBC News Learn properties.
Capus currently serves on the Board of Visitors at the Temple University School of Communications and the Newseum Board of Trustees in Washington, D.C.
Earlier in his career, he worked at Philadelphia’s WCAU (then a CBS station) and at KYW. He also spent time reporting for newspapers and radio stations in the Philadelphia area.
Capus is the recipient of many distinguished awards, such as the Edward R. Murrow Award, the Emmy Awards, and the National Association of Black Journalists’ Ida B. Wells Award. He also is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
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From: Rhodes, David
Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2014 9:34 AM
To: @CND News
Subject: CBS Evening News/ Steve Capus
Steve Capus will be joining us as Executive Producer of the CBS EVENING NEWS and Executive Editor of CBS News.Many of you have known Steve as a competitor—he was President of NBC News for eight years and Executive Producer of NBC Nightly News for four years. Over Steve’s career, he has been the producer of some of the most successful hard-news broadcasts on television. Right now Steve is Executive in Residence at IESE Business School, involved in business education and innovation projects there as well as with other institutions. Earlier in his career he worked at Philadelphia’s WCAU (then a CBS station) and at our own KYW.In Steve Capus we have found a producer and a manager who can guide the Evening News to greater competitiveness while helping the broader organization take advantage of the opportunities presented by rapid changes in our industry. As Executive Editor he joins our management team as a resource for colleagues around the Broadcast Center and a strategist on coverage of ongoing stories.Scott Pelley’s audience has grown over the three years since he took the helm of the broadcast—Steve is going to be able to work with Scott to drive that growth further. Scott and Steve have shared values on the kind of original reporting we should be presenting each night on television and around the clock on all of our platforms.Steve will begin producing the CBS EVENING NEWS on a full time basis immediately after the 4th of July holiday—between now and then he will be visiting our newsrooms and getting to know everyone around the news organization. Jim McGlinchy remains Interim Executive Producer of the broadcast and will stay involved in this transition. Marsha Cooke will be Senior Broadcast Producer under Steve.Jeff Fager and I will have a town hall meeting in New York with Steve before he takes over, when he’s able to visit Studio 47. But for now please join us in congratulating Steve Capus and welcoming him to CBS News.