There's been speculation about who will replace Tim Russert on NBC's Meet the Press. David Gregory, Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews and Katie Couric were a few of the rumored possibilities. Jovie Baclayon of E! Online reports that Tom Brokaw will be temporarily replacing the tragically-lost news anchor. NBC announced today that the former Nightly News anchor and South Dakota native would take over moderating responsibilities on Sunday mornings. He will guide discussions through the November presidential elections. Steve Capus, NBC News President, made this statement about Brokaw's decision to step in: "To have someone of Tom's stature step up and dedicate himself to ensuring its ongoing success is not only a testament to his loyalty to Tim, but his enduring commitment to NBC News and our viewers."
After 21 years helming the program, Tom Brokaw retired from NBC Nightly News in 2004.
Tim Russert died of a heart attack last week on June 13th. He was 58.
[via Yahoo TV]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-22-2008 @ 7:35PM
MacGuffin said...
Tom Brokaw will be a great addition as the transitional moderator of MTP.
NBC needed to find someone with gravitas who can lead them through the election. Ultimately this makes it easier on whoever is the permanent replacement since they won't be constantly compared to Tim Russert.
I still like the idea of Chuck Todd. NBC can use the next 6 months to groom him and increase his hosting skills.
I also threw out a radical choice of Bob Woodward, but I think that would be unlikely now.
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6-22-2008 @ 8:37PM
MacGuffin said...
P.S. I thought Brian Williams did an excellent job this morning.
6-22-2008 @ 8:31PM
Jake said...
Anyone else wouldn't have had the gravitas to follow Tim. Other than Brian Williams, he was the only logical choice in an election year. He is respected and can ask the hard questions to politicians because of who he is. He won't be looking over his shoulder worry about his future with the network.
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6-22-2008 @ 9:52PM
Jimmy said...
> Anyone else wouldn't have had the gravitas to follow Tim.
Or the objectivity.
Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews and Katie Couric? Give me a break.
6-22-2008 @ 9:39PM
miller980 said...
I thought Williams did a good job as well. I think it bodes well for the future of MTP with Brokaw at the desk for now. The worst thing they could do is turn it into a circus by having Olbermann or Chris Matthews as the host.
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6-22-2008 @ 10:15PM
Jake said...
I think Olbermann's problem is that he uses the truth to come up with conclusions that might not neccesarily follow from the truth. it's sort of like the opposite of O'Reilly, who uses lies to come to his own conclusions. That and his obession with Billo is getting tiresome. Brian Williams is terrific and has a great sense of humor, but he's the nightly news guy. Matthews is good on his history, but does sensationalize and does tend to blwo with the political wind. I like Andrea Mitchell, but I am not sure she exudes the confidence on screen needed to grill politicians. Chuck Todd's a smart guy that was picked by Russert, but he does need to improve his interview skills. David Gregory is okay but strikes me as kind of boring. Katie Couric is a joke. Not sure of there are others in contention. Dan Abrams has a good show but he's a little too hokey to do MTP. I say Mitchell or Todd if they can improve their interview skills.
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6-22-2008 @ 11:07PM
deebopalula said...
Brokaw - Perfect choice taking everything into account. Not sure I would tune into anyone else in this circumstance quite frankly.
R.I.P Tim.....
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6-22-2008 @ 11:35PM
Oreo said...
Yahoo news was reporting on this several hours before E.
And Brian Williams can't do it weekly, he already works 5 days a week.
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