The death of Tim Russert has left open a vast hole at NBC News, and some media writers have already begun the process of looking ahead past the shocking news. Russert was not only the host of Meet the Press (as well as the Tim Russert Show on MSNBC), he was the Washington bureau chief.

• The New York Times' Bill Carter and Jacques Steinberg raise a few of the expected names for potential Meet the Press anchor. "From inside NBC, the potential candidates include the evening news anchor, Brian Williams, who would be doing double duty (as [Bob] Schieffer did for a time at CBS), correspondents David Gregory and Andrea Mitchell and MSNBC hosts like Chris Matthews, Joe Scarborough and Keith Olbermann," they write. "Several of those names are already lightning rods for critics, however."

• MarketWatch's Jon Friedman makes his pitch for Gregory.

• The Los Angeles Times' Scott Collins writes about some of those options, as well as some long shots. "It's considered less likely that NBC would reach outside for a brand-name talent, such as CBS News anchor Katie Couric or George Stephanopoulos," he writes.

• Politico's Michael Calderone raises another possibility (via Andrew Tyndall) — NBC political director, Chuck Todd.

How about a Washington-based NBC correspondent who worked directly under Russert, the bureau chief?

Of course, replacing Russert is not the objective. As NBC Universal president Jeff Zucker tells the Times, "Anybody who thinks they can replace Tim Russert is kidding themselves."