In His Encore, Brokaw Again a Heavy-Hitter for NBC

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.

 It was Brokaw who advocated that Olbermann and Chris Matthews be relegated to commentary roles, and save for his involvement, McCain might not have agreed to an NBC-hosted debate. NBC will replace Brokaw soon after Election Day, possibly with a group of hosts led by Chuck Todd, a source tells the Times. And Brokaw says he’ll be ready to hang it up: “This is not like wading into a trout stream.” (More Tom Brokaw stories.)