Gearing up for next year's election campaign, NBC News announced its new
political-coverage team Tuesday.
Mark Lukasiewicz has been tapped as executive producer, NBC News specials and
special projects.
Lukasiewicz, who has been with the network since 2000, was NBC's lead
producer for coverage of the war with Iraq.
Before joining NBC, he was with ABC News for 11 years.
He effectively replaces Beth O'Connell, who had headed political coverage and
special projects in the past.
She'll remain on the special-events-coverage team and takes on added duties
as executive producer of NBC News Radio, a recently launched new venture with
radio syndicator Westwood One Inc., which is owned by Viacom Inc.
NBC also said news-division veteran Philip Alongi has been named
executive director of specials planning and will oversee production planning for
all "Decision 2004" coverage by NBC, MSNBC, CNBC and Telemundo.
And Elizabeth Wilner was named political director and will lead the news
division's political coverage from the NBC News Bureau in Washington, D.C.
