Bucks native Capus exiting as NBC News chief

Bucks County native and Temple grad Steve Capus is leaving the presidency of NBC News.

In a memo to the news staff obtained by Politico, Capus said that "it has been a privilege to have spent two decades here, but it is now time to head in a new direction," and that he'll be leaving in the coming weeks.

Capus, an ardent sports fan who turned his 30 Rockefeller Center office into a shrine for Philadelphia teams, has been friends with anchor Brian Williams since the two worked together at WCAU in Philadelphia back in the '80s.

"Of course, it is an extremely difficult decision to walk away from a place that has been the backdrop for everything in my life since 1993. Twenty years ago this month, I was handed my first NBC News ID card by Sharon Houston and Cheryl Gould. What a thrill for this NASCAR-loving kid from suburban Philadelphia who aspired from a young age to be a DJ at a rock 'n' roll radio station," said Capus, who didn't say what he'd be doing next.