Doss: Capital idea

David Doss, who’s overseen NBC’s top-rated “Nightly News” for nearly five years, is heading for a new job.

“It’s in the dot.com and radio/TV domain,” says Doss, who will spend some time with his wife and new baby daughter before beginning his new assignment. “It’s really clear to me that there would never be a better time for me to take advantage of some of the opportunities I have,” he says. “Our ratings success is very high.

“I’ve been running the [‘Nightly News’] show for about four years – when I came here we were number three and for the last three years we’ve been number one.”

For now, senior broadcast producer Jonathan Wald will run “Nightly News.”

Some angry words

Lisa Gay Hamilton (“The Practice”) is blasting her own profession for what she terms “legal racism” after she was once declined the role of Hester Prynne in “The Scarlet Letter” because she’s black.

Hamilton tells the July 29 issue of TV Guide that she also grew tired of playing slave women on stage and TV – especially after being offered a role to play a slave this summer by a New York theater company.

“I said, ‘Look, I am not Miss Jane Pittman, OK?,'” she says. “I can’t play every slave woman ever written! I love my people. I love my history. But can we do something contemporary?'”

Lydia ‘asks’ Asa

Ch. 4’s Asa Aarons (“Ask Asa”) proved to theremin virtuoso Lydia Kavina that he doesn’t just play a helpful reporter on TV.

Kavina, who’s in town from Moscow, conducted her first solo at Lincoln Center last night. But that was almost thrown into disarray when Kavina discovered during rehearsals that her custom-built theremin, which she brought here from Moscow, malfunctioned.

Knowing that Aarons also plays the theremin, Kavina “asked Asa” to borrow his theremin – which was retrieved from Asa’s Pelham Manor home just in time for last night.

Barry bonds with 2

If you’re looking to “Practice Safe Stress,” Barry Roberts is your man.

Roberts’ spokesman, David Salidor, reports that the renowned motivational speaker has already received dozens of TV bookings to discuss his new book – including an appearance next week on Ch. 2’s 4 p.m. newscast to discuss “Survivor.”

Roberts will also be on CNBC and WOR (710 AM) next week.