October 8, 2008 5:57:26 AM CDT
(Newser) – Tim Russert, host of Meet the Press and longtime NBC News Washington bureau chief, died today after collapsing at work and apparently suffering cardiac arrest, MSNBC reports. He was 58. A 24-year NBC veteran, Russert was also the author of two New York Times best-sellers, Big Russ and Me and Wisdom of Our Fathers.
In announcing his death on the air, Tom Brokaw called Russert "one of the premier political journalists and analysts of his time." Network anchor Brian Williams, reporting from Afghanistan, broke down on the air when asked to describe the network's loss. “It became the gold standard of political journalism,” correspondent Andrea Mitchell said of Meet the Press.
Sources MSNBC, New York Times
Sep 30, 08 10:47 AM CDT NBC is preparing for a post-Brokaw Meet the Press, but replacing the elder statesman won’t be easy, the New York Times reports. Brokaw has exceeded expectations as a fill-in for Tim Russert, keeping NBC’s Sunday show atop the ratings. Less publicly, he’s been a crucial diplomat between the network and the McCain campaign, which associates NBC with left-wing MSNBC hosts like Keith Olbermann. More »
Aug 5, 08 1:22 PM CDT The moderators for the three presidential debates have been announced, and none of them are particularly gasp-inducing, the Swamp reports. Tom Brokaw, interim host of Meet the Press, Jim Lehrer, of PBS’ News Hour, and Bob Schieffer of CBS’ Face the Nation, will each host a debate, while Gwen Ifill, also of PBS, drew the single vice-presidential face-off. The first debate will be September 26. More »
Jun 30, 08 8:31 AM CDT Meeting the press is a much more laid-back experience with Tom Brokaw temporarily in Tim Russert’s old seat, the New York Times reports. Hosting his first standard-format show yesterday, Brokaw “kept the mood at a sober but easygoing tempo,” writes Alessandra Stanley. But with the presidential race heating up, things were perhaps a little too cool in the studio, Stanley notes. More »
Jun 22, 08 2:40 PM CDT NBC has anointed Tom Brokaw as Tim Russert's heir on "Meet the Press" through the 2008 election, the network announced today. "I feel right at home," said Brokaw, who has appeared on the public affairs show since the Watergate days. But Brian Williams—who took over NBC's Nightly News when Brokaw stepped down in 2004—was at the helm today, and he wasn't up to snuff, writes the Swamp's Jon Crewdson. More »
Jun 20, 08 2:55 AM CDT NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams will be filling in for Tim Russert on this Sunday's Meet the Press, E! Online reports. NBC is still seeking a permanent replacement for the mighty newsman who died a week ago. Reporters David Gregory and Andrea Mitchell have been mentioned as possible candidates, as have Hardball host Chris Matthews—and Williams himself. More »
Tim Russert • Meet the Press • Tom Brokaw • punditry
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