The AP’s David Bauder writes about Steve Capus’ position as President of NBC News being made permanent….

His new job gives him authority over MSNBC and its president, Rick Kaplan. MSNBC hasn’t been able to escape the ratings cellar in its competition with Fox News Channel and CNN, but Capus said it has made NBC a stronger news organization.

“We have become much more aggressive because NBC News is in the 24-7 business,” he said. “We have to respond quickly and aggressively to stories.”

Capus was also briefly in the production ranks at “Today” during the mid-1990s, where he worked under then-executive producer Jeff Zucker. Zucker, president of the NBC Universal Television Group, continues as his boss.

Zucker said Capus “has great journalistic judgment, the confidence of his colleagues, and a keen understanding of the importance of extending the NBC News brand across new platforms in this ever-evolving digital era.”