NBC News President Steve Capus and his boss at the General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE)-owned network, Jeff Zucker, are thanking their lucky stars that Tom Brokaw will be the interim host of "Meet the Press" through the November election.

Brokaw, who was anchor of "NBC Nightly News" for more than two decades, agreed to take on more duties at the network after chatting over a beer with Capus aboard an Amtrak train traveling from Washington to New York following Tim Russert's memorial service, according to the Washington Post. The 68-year-old Brokaw later called Capus to volunteer to temporarily take over "Meet the Press," the paper said. It was a no-brainer for NBC to take Brokaw up on his offer.

"Meet the Press" is a cash-cow for NBC, attracting well-heeled viewers eager to learn about the doings in Washington. Advertisers likely pay premium rates for 30-second spots on the program because it is so prestigious. It needs a host to fill Russert's role who has both name recognition and a reputation as a non-partisan straight shooter. Brokaw fits the bill on both accounts.

In fact, the 68-year-old native of South Dakota is such a good fit for the program that the network probably wishes he would take the job permanently, even though Brokaw apparently would prefer to spend his Sundays clad in waders at his Montana ranch fishing for trout. Odds are fairly good that Brokaw's tenure will extend beyond the election because finding the right host is not going to be easy.

Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann of the MSNBC network are too partisan and grating to take over "Meet the Press." NBC's Andrea Mitchell and David Gregory are well-respected journalists but hardly household names. Look for them to try to land Katie Couric, whose future at the "CBS Evening News" is murky at best, or CNN's Wolf Blitzer or even Gwen Ifill of PBS.

General Electric's long-suffering shareholders are probably interested in the search as well. Any sale of NBC Universal would be easier knowing that one of its most visible shows is in good hands.