What is this anonymous tipster suggesting?: "Think about this: since Neal left and EVERYBODY is talking about it...not a SINGLE word from Zucker, Wright, nothing. no e-mail saying "we'll figure this out soon." Nothing."

Meanwhile, here's round two of wild tip box speculation about who could replace Neal Shapiro:

> A tipster wonders if Tom Brokaw could be the next NBC News prez...

> I know Bill Wheatley doesn't want to delay his retirement, but would he, if asked?

> An e-mailer says Mark Hoffman's name has also been heard in the halls: "He did lightning work getting CNBC on level keel [and] came from being GM at a strong news station."

> Shapiro came from Dateline, so how about EP David Corvo?

> While we're naming names, why not Jeff Gralnick or Jonathan Wald? Bob Horner?

> "Let me wishfully nominate Tim Russert," an e-mailer says. "Besides being a newsman, Russert has some experience on the business side -- he was Lawrence Grossman's deputy in the 1980s."

> UPDATE: How could I forget Mark Lukasiewicz, who oversees the Specials Unit? "He came from a very senior role at ABC and oversaw coverage of the War, Reagan's funeral, the last election, the Pope's funeral," an e-mailer says...