It took about 30 seconds after Steve Capus sent an email to the NBC staff that he was leaving the network, before people at the Peacock wondered out loud "who would replace him?"

Capus has been at 30 Rock since 1993 and worked his way up to the President of the News Division. There is already a long list of names that insiders feel will replace him.

Names on that list are MSNBC president Phil Griffin, CNBC president Mark Hoffman, NBC News senior VP Antoine Sanfuentes. Also, David Westin, the former President at ABC News name is being kicked around.

Whomever gets the job....it will be at a diminished role compared to the power that Capus had.

The Hollywood Reporter writes that the NBC News job is somewhat diminished with the arrival last summer of Pat Fili-Krushel as the head of a streamlined management structure that brought the assets of NBC News – including CNBC, MSNBC and the digital operations – under one umbrella.

It was this management layering that put Capus and Hoffman under Fili-Krushel instead of NBC Universal CEO Steve Burke, which precipitated Capus’ resignation. Multiple sources close to Capus say that the new three-year contract he signed last year stipulated that he would continue to report to Burke.

Other insiders tell FTVLive that NBC is going to go outside for the President of News hire. One source tells FTVLive that they will go outside the network and according to the source "It's won't be Westin."

Time will tell what happens at NBC, as for Steve Capus many think it won't be long before he hooks up with old pal Jeff Zucker at CNN.

Stay tuned...