Tomorrow’s election may be the last for NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw, but his December 1 departure does not mean he will disappear entirely from the network. Brokaw, who is 64, has signed a ten-year contract with NBC and will continue to do commentary and documentaries. But first, he is planning a fishing trip to New Zealand.
Brokaw, who has held the job of news anchor since 1983, was born in Webster, SD February 6, 1940. He began working at a local radio station while he was in high school. After attending the University of Iowa, he graduated from the University of South Dakota with a degree in political science. He secured his first television spot at KTIV-TV in Omaha after he graduated.
In 1966, he joined NBC news. He served as White House correspondent, and in 1976 joined the Today show, where he was the anchor until 1981. He left the Today show to co-anchor the Nightly News with Roger Mudd until 1983, when he was named sole anchor of the popular news show.
As anchor, Brokaw has been first on the scene to cover some of the biggest stories of the late 20th century, and has also become the voice of a generation in honoring the veterans of World War II in his book “The Greatest Generation.” Brokaw’s calm, folksy style was particularly welcome on September 11, 2001, when he stepped in to anchor coverage of the tragic events of that day.
Brian Williams, who has been with NBC since 1993, will replace Brokaw. But first, Brokaw will anchor the network’s election coverage, live from Rockefeller Plaza – renamed “Democracy Plaza” for the event. Brokaw will be joined in the anchor booth by Tim Russert who will have commentary as well as offering a running tally of electoral votes. NBC is expected to lead the ratings for coverage as it has for most of the political events this season.
Tom Brokaw’s retirement will certainly be the first of several major shifts in network news. CBS’s news anchor, Dan Rather, who is 73, may be facing increasing pressure to retire, and Peter Jennings, who is 66, certainly will be considering this move himself before the next election.
