Former ‘Today’ Executive Capra Gets Key KTTV Post

Tom Capra, former executive producer of NBC’s “Today” show, was named Wednesday as vice president and general manager of Fox-owned KTTV Channel 11.

Capra, 51, who will start Nov. 16, said he is considering creating a two-hour morning series that would compete with network shows such as “Today.” Another local station, KTLA Channel 5, already has such a series.

The veteran executive, a former news director of KNBC Channel 4, said that he also hopes to improve KTTV’s nightly 10 o’clock news. “It’s not doing that well and ought to be doing better. You can improve the pace and the look,” he said.

Capra, son of the late movie director Frank Capra, left “Today” a year ago amid reports that he was in disfavor with NBC brass. He was replaced by Jeff Zucker, under whom the NBC series has made a strong ratings comeback.

Returning to Los Angeles, Capra joined NBC’s in-house production unit. He said he created a pilot that did not sell and was developing several other projects.

Capra’s appointment was announced by Mitchell Stern, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Fox Television stations, who has also been running KTTV.

The announcement came after another top-level management change at Fox this week. On Monday, Peter Chernin, head of programming for Fox Broadcasting Co., was named chairman of 20th Century Fox, replacing Joe Roth, who is going into independent production.

Capra said he had been assured that he would have autonomy despite Fox’s attempt to build a network news service.

“I asked. You can’t run half a station. What they’re saying to me is that I’m in charge of Channel 11, and everyone reports to me,” he said.

Of his desire to create a 7 a.m.-9 a.m. news series, he said: “I think the audience would rather see a local show more than a 3-hour-old network show, even though I produced one of them.”

He said such a project was “absolutely” one of his priorities.

Capra said he would also like to expand KTTV’s “news and information” presence at other times of the day. Best known as a newsman, he said he was confident of his managerial abilities as well. “I always run a pretty tight ship.”