NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - NBC News' Andrea Mitchell and David Gregory are two likely candidates to split "Meet the Press" duties after Friday's sudden death of moderator and Washington bureau chief Tim Russert.
Mitchell is a veteran NBC News correspondent who has been covering the presidential campaign and who is known as a tough interviewer. Gregory is chief White House correspondent, a substitute host on "Today" and since this year has had his own nightly show on MSNBC, "Race for the White House."
Both possess some of Russert's critical skills. But NBC News is considered to have a deep political bench, and other candidates could still surface.
Nonetheless, Russert's passing has left a void at a crucial time for NBC News.
Not only did Russert take "Press" to the top ratings spot more than seven years ago, but he also was the face of the network's political coverage, setting the direction and the tone as bureau chief.
Top-level network jobs often take years to grow into and involve a tricky transition period. (It took about 18 months for Brian Williams to take over the anchor spot left by Tom Brokaw.) In this case, NBC doesn't have the luxury of time, with the biggest political story of recent years -- the presidential election -- playing out right now.
Mitchell has the experience and contacts to smooth the transition at "Press." She has been a mainstay at NBC News for decades and already anchors an MSNBC hour daily.
Gregory is a rising star known for sparring with White House press secretaries; he could continue Russert's tradition of tough questioning on the Sunday public-affairs program. He also has been seen within NBC as an eventual replacement for Chris Matthews on "Hardball."
