NBC: Brokaw to host 'Meet the Press' through November election

[DeepModem Mom]

Source: WP/AP

By DAVID BAUDER
The Associated Press
Sunday, June 22, 2008

NEW YORK -- Veteran news anchor Tom Brokaw will moderate NBC's "Meet the Press" through the November election in the place of the late Tim Russert, the network announced Sunday.

Brokaw is scheduled to start on June 29. He had filled in on the program for the Sunday following Russert's death of a heart attack on June 13.

NBC News President Steve Capus said the show will continue to be produced in Washington.

"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," Capus said....

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/22/AR2008062200785.html?hpid=moreheadlines

[napi21]

1. Good. O like Tom and he'll do a great job. n/t

[CANDO]

2. Stephenie Miller's voice "Deity", Jim Ward will have plenty of Brokaw material to work with

eom

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

20. "Holy Halalabad..."

[FreakinDJ]

3. Was he the one during the Dem debate

that wanted to discuss all the slur material rather then the real issues

[Inuca]

4. No n/t

[asjr]

5. Will he have a translator?

[UTUSN]

9. BwahaHAH!1 n/t

[The Liberal Thinker]

6. Good, I really like Tom.

Eventually, though, I think someone like Olbermann or Chris Matthews should make the transition from cable to the main NBC channel.

[ReformedChris]

7. It was their best choice for stability and at least Matthews didn't get it..

Brokaw has stature and should stabilize the show for the advertisers and staff alike. I was fearing Tweety would get it and damage MTP. I figured NBC didn't have the guts to hire Gwen Iffel right now and they wouldn't take the risk of putting KO in that slot (as entertaining as it would be, they would get backlash for making that choice from many in the media and the GOPers). I hope they find a real pitbull to take that job when the time comes, someone that will equally dig for the truth from Democrats and Republicans.

[LTR]

10. Matthews wouldn't have gotten it

NBCU already syndicates a Sunday morning show hosted by him. They won't give it up, because it's been successful for them.

Brokaw is a good move, since he allows a good transition for them, and more time to name a permanent host.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

14. My personal Zen view of Tweets Matthews as a potential replacement for Russert:

Frank Sinatra: Can't understand a word. Next issue - Rita Hayworth or Ava Gardner, who would you rather nail? I disqualify myself, because I've done them both.

Billy Idol: I think you're a bloody, stupid old fart!



Frank Sinatra: You're all talk, blondie! You want a piece of me? I'm right here!

Billy Idol: Don't provoke me, old man.

Frank Sinatra: You don't scare me. I've got chunks of guys like you in my stool!

Billy Idol: Alright, I'll rip your bloody head off.

Frank Sinatra: Steve, go kick his ass.

Steve Lawrence: ( confused ) What?

Frank Sinatra: You heard me!

Eydie Gorme: Do it, Steve!

Steve Lawrence: Huh? Well.. okay.. ( stands over Billy )

Billy Idol: You got it. ( punches Steve in the gut, knocking him to the floor )

Frank Sinatra: Next week, the Grammy Awards. Where the hell is Vicki Carr's album? Bye bye. < overlooking the fight > Keep the hands up, Steve..

http://snltranscripts.jt.org/90/90ksinatra.phtml

[UTUSN]

8. He has (physically, not politically) woken up since 2000

Ah, yaas, Election Night 2000, I shall never forget: Dan RATHER was all wired up, popping up and down in his chair, spouting regionalisms. The other anchors were at least doing their jobs. And then there was BROKAW----so BORED, blase, mumbling through almost literal somnolescence. He had seen it all, done it all, and this was just one more piddling little election to him. Even when the evening started showing signs of something SCREWN, he barely stopped chewing on his tongue.


In the last few years, out of the *total* grind, he has seemed to be more "alert".

[merh]

25. That is exactly what comes to mind when I think of brokaw

he is bored and his coverage of anything fills me with ennui.

I'm no fan of MTP anyway, I think Russert did us no favors (us being the nation).

[bluestateguy]

11. They could do a lot worse than Brokaw

I urge the senate to confirm him. ;)

[Festivito]

12. Just another M$M cool-aid drinker, safety man for the RW to me.

But, life goes on.

[Cha]

32. Yeah, like they and the bushites didn't

just totally fuck up the last years.

[applegrove]

13. Great news.

[xxqqqzme]

15. Rachel Maddow!

I would even watch it.

[rosesaylavee]

16. There is the slimmest chance that the show

will be unbiased until November now. Tom is a journalist of the old school... or so I hope.

[Gabi Hayes]

17. JFC, how quickly we forget, even here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x362872

.............
Brokaw falsely claimed Giuliani's Florida ads "don't mention terrorism"
Summary: On Meet the Press, Tom Brokaw claimed that Rudy Giuliani's television ads airing in Florida "don't mention terrorism." In fact, just two days earlier, the Giuliani campaign launched a new ad, airing in West Palm Beach, that contains video footage of New York City in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.


On the January 20 broadcast of NBC's Meet the Press, former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw claimed that Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani's television ads airing in Florida "don't mention terrorism." In fact, just two days earlier, the Giuliani campaign launched a new ad, airing in West Palm Beach, that contains video footage of New York City in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The footage appears as the narrator says of Giuliani: "hen the world wavered. And history hesitated. He never did."

From the January 20 broadcast of NBC's Meet the Press:

TIM RUSSERT (host): Let's start with the Republicans. Tom Brokaw, John McCain wins South Carolina, a week from Tuesday, he goes to Florida. Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, at least, all lying in wait.

BROKAW: You know what it reminds me of now, Tim, is that in rural America, they have these quarter-mile dirt tracks, and they have wreck-'em derbies. And they put all the cars on the track at the same time, and they run into each other until there's just one car standing. I think we've got a wreck-'em derby going on in the Republican Party right now.

I've just gotten back from Florida. Rudy Giuliani's ads on the air don't mention terrorism. He's the man who reduced the corporate taxes in the city of New York, created new jobs, reduced crime, and also took a lot of people off the welfare rolls.

So this election on the Republican side now is changing both in tone and in content. And it seems to me that John McCain -- who, I suspect everyone around this table shared my views six months ago that he was down for the count -- has made an astonishing comeback. And people are looking for authenticity, and it may be embodied by John McCain on the Republican side.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200801200004

[tom_paine]

18. Yep. Tommy is just another Timmeh! Of course, so many on DU think Timmeh!

was a great journalist.

:rofl: :crazy: :silly: :puke:

[HughMoran]

19. That's cool - he seems to be pretty fair minded

I always thought he was more liberal that many...

[MrsMatt]

30. I've think he's pretty fair as well

and his wife certainly contributes to dems, at least from what I've gathered from Newsmeat.

[RamboLiberal]

21. I posted on DU that I thought they'd talk Brokaw in to doing MTP

till the election and then after break in a new host. They need to give it to someone young enough to carry it through for 10+ years.

My next bet is they will groom Chuck Todd to do it after the elections. He seems to be their rising political star and was selected by Russert.

[Goldfish]

22. Sorry, I don't have a good opinion of Mr. Brokejaw.

Once upon a time I thought he was an honorable "journalist."
I changed my mind during the 2004 election when I saw him
running around like a happy puppy dog and interviewing the
retired admiral Schakte(?) ( I can't spell his name) and asking
about Kerry's military service in Vietnam. Brokejaw did no
vetting of the "scoop" he got with those who had served with
Kerry. Instead, he was gleefully spouting the false information
that the admiral had given him that Kerry's medals were undeserved and spinning it as the gospel truth. I was infuriated by what I saw! It was only much later
that I read somewhere that the men who served with Kerry had
no recollection of the Admiral serving with them on the same
swift boat. So how the hell could he speak with such authority?
That's when I realized what a hack Brokejaw was!

[liberalla]

23. Expected. I don't like him much.

There's something 'off' about him... Maybe it's his speech which is really garbled - like he has a mouth full of novocaine or is drunk.

He's very biased also... IMO.

[otohara]

26. Good Description

of the voice problem. It's worse lately, drones on like William F. Buckley IMO.

[liberalla]

27. It's definitely gotten worse lately, and I wonder if it's a health

problem (undiagnosed). Maybe it's only a lazy tongue, and would benefit from speech therapy... :shrug:

[Binka]

31. I Have It On Great Sources That Tom Has A BIGTIME Martini Problem

He is A TOTAL lush. That slurring is Sapphire Gin.

[winston61]

36. Well, I guess he has to do something to be able to

look at himself in the mirror. Ok, Tommy pucker up those lips and get ready to plant a big juicy one on Bush and Cheney!

[Doctor_J]

24. They had many war cheerleaders to pick from. I guess Tom is

the one with the most "gravitas". Yeesh.

[winston61]

28. God Almighty, MTP was barely watchable with

Timmy 'I love Cheney' Russert in the chair, now with Brokaw it really has turned to shit.

[Hugin]

29. I'm okay with this...

Brokaw is a fair choice considering the alternatives.

[liberalla]

33. "considering the alternatives..."

key point :thumbsup:

[tom_paine]

34. No change there. Timmeh and Tommeh are cut from the same toadying cloth.

I expect nothing different from Tommeh:

Respectful toadying and never a follow-up question to Bushies.

Pretending to be a "jornalist" with "hard-hitting" questions about whatever the GOP distraction is for that day.

Say it with me Timmeh! Tommeh!

[gauguin57]

35. Thank GOD! I love Tom Brokaw.

I never felt he showed his political leanings in his anchoring/reporting.

He'll be a good transition person through the election season.

But, for the sake of my blood pressure, I'll still be watching "Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood" instead of the Sunday morning pundit shows.

[dorkulon]

37. Truly, his is the Greatest Moderation.

Sorry, couldn't help it.

[depakid]

38. Brokaw: the man who made Reagan the media's little darling

and spread Republican propaganda while legitimizing fundamentalists throughout the 80's and 90's.

I swear, some folks on this site have very short memories. Brokaw was by far the most dishonest of the 3 network newsreaders prior to the introduction of Fox and the takeover of CNN.

Don't anything but the same over the next several months.