Kapp named NBC News' spokesperson

Lauren Kapp was named vice president of NBC News communications Monday, Aug. 24. Kapp replaces Allison Gollust, who in July was promoted to executive vice president of NBC Universal Corporate Communications. (Gollust, in terms, replaces Cory Shields, who was named executive vice president of global policy strategies and alliances in June.) Kapp had been mentioned as one of the top contenders for the job since Gollust’s promotion.

In her new job, Kapp will serve as the lead communicator for NBC News – including Today, Nightly News with Brian Williams, Dateline and Meet the Press — and the chief spokesperson for Steve Capus, president of NBC News. She also will be responsible for the division’s internal communications and will oversee corporate philanthropy programs.

Kapp has been with NBC News’ press department since October 2002, most recently as senior director at Nightly and specials. Kapp managed communications at Today from October 2002 until July 2007, serving as chief spokesperson for the show and the primary publicist for its anchors and correspondents.

Prior to joining NBC, Kapp worked in ABC News’ press department from April 2000 through Oct. 2002. Kapp graduated from the University of Arizona with a major in Communications. She resides in Brooklyn with her husband and two sons.

Paige Albiniak

Contributing editor Paige Albiniak has been covering the business of television for more than 25 years. She is a longtime contributor to Next TV, Broadcasting + Cable and Multichannel News. She concurrently serves as editorial director for The Global Entertainment Marketing Academy of Arts & Sciences (G.E.M.A.). She has written for such publications as TVNewsCheck, The New York Post, Variety, CBS Watch and more. Albiniak was B+C’s Los Angeles bureau chief from September 2002 to 2004, and an associate editor covering Congress and lobbying for the magazine in Washington, D.C., from January 1997 - September 2002.