"Amid growing dissatisfaction with his leadership of the news division, NBC News President Neal Shapiro is in initial separation talks with the network to step down from his post, according to three sources at the company," the Los Angeles Times reports this afternoon. "Sources familiar with internal discussions said the news president is not expected to remain in his position for very much longer. Shapiro himself initiated the discussions to leave, according to one network executive."

> "This has been in the works for some time," one NBC Universal executive tells the Times. "But the 'Today' show slide certainly helped accelerate the final push."

> Shapiro is on a "previously planned weeklong vacation."