With Brokaw as Elder Statesman, NBC Plans Future of ‘Meet the Press’

[babylonsister]

Brokaw, Gregory...totally unwatchable if that happens. What are they thinking?


With Brokaw as Elder Statesman, NBC Plans Future of ‘Meet the Press’
Michael Termine for The New York Times

By JACQUES STEINBERG
Published: September 29, 2008


WASHINGTON — Sometime between Election Day and early December, NBC News will make a final decision about who will replace Tim Russert and his interim successor, Tom Brokaw, at the helm of “Meet the Press,” Steve Capus, the president of NBC News, said in an interview.

Mr. Capus refused to characterize the network’s intentions. But it is leaning toward an ensemble of hosts that would be led by Chuck Todd, NBC’s political director, and include David Gregory, a correspondent and MSNBC anchor, according to a person who had been briefed on the proposal but was not authorized to comment, partly because the plans were not set. Like the turnover of anchors at all three network newscasts, the process of choosing a successor for Mr. Russert has been closely watched in media and political circles.

In the meantime Mr. Brokaw has been given an unexpected encore. Since taking over for his close friend Mr. Russert following his death, Mr. Brokaw has lent on-camera stability to “Meet the Press,” which continues to be the most watched of the network Sunday public-affairs programs. He has also appeared in guest spots on “Today” and on MSNBC that might have otherwise gone to Mr. Russert.

But less widely known is that Mr. Brokaw has also played a pivotal role out of public view, both within NBC and in its dealings with the campaign of John McCain in particular.

In an interview here after Sunday’s broadcast, Mr. Brokaw said that over the summer he had “advocated” within the executive suite of NBC News to modify the anchor duties of the MSNBC hosts Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews on election night and on nights when there were presidential debates. Their expressions of strong political opinions from the MSNBC anchor desk has run counter to the more traditional role Mr. Brokaw played on “NBC Nightly News” for more than two decades. NBC said earlier this month that the two hosts would mostly relinquish their anchor duties to Mr. Gregory, while being present as analysts.

“Keith is an articulate guy who writes well and doesn’t make his arguments in a ‘So’s your old mother’ kind of way,” Mr. Brokaw said. “The mistake was to think he could fill both roles. The other mistake was to think he wouldn’t be tempted to use the anchor position to engage in commentary. That’s who he is.”

more...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/30/arts/television/30brok.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

[donco6]

1. Brokaw was hideous last week.

He couldn't control the debate between Udall and Shaeffer at all. It was embarrassing. And he can't frame a question without reading an entire article from an editorial. If he's the host, I'll be skipping MTP and go have coffee after This Week.

[kirby]

2. Couldn't control? More like didnt even try... n/t

[drbtg1]

3. Brokaw is just clueless.

Mr. Olbermann has already proven he can anchor. The St. Paul bridge collapse showed that. Also, to claim he writes well is one hell of an understatement. Nobody in the corporate news business could touch what he wrote for the intro for coverage of Pope John Paul II's passing.

What Brokaw fails to realize is that Mr. Olbermann give commentary on people and events that would otherwise use Brokaw and others in the "news" as their own personal infomercial distribution system. That may be fine for Brokaw and the NBC network, but MSNBC should be a different breed of cat.

With the roles of Mr. Olbermann, Mr. Matthews and even Scarborough reduced, I actually miss what I consider to be the most volatile team in news.

[babylonsister]

5. Agreed. I think that young wippersnapper, Olbermann, might

be making Brokaw the tiniest bit tense. They've dumped this mantle on Brokaw of elder newsman, but he's pretty lame.
The more he is out there, the less I like him. He should have stayed retired and written books.

[drbtg1]

11. True, and it's a mantle he has not respected.

The elder newsman should be respecting those following in his footsteps. Instead, he's trying to make backroom deals with the McCain campaign, and in the process kneecapping good people like Mr. Olbermann.

THIS EXPLAINS WHY NBC NEWS WAS SO VOCAL ABOUT DUMPING MR. OLBERMANN AND MR. MATTHEWS FROM ANCHOR DUTIES AFTER THE RNC!!! NBC WAS APPEASING McCAIN. Instead of just allowing the debates to show up with the changes unannounced, NBC had to shout from the rooftops that the deal was done!

It appears Brokaw is an elder newsman in the same way Tony Soprano was an elder businessman.

[babylonsister]

12. Hahaha! Love the Sopranos analogy!

And AFAIK, Olbermann welcomed the 'firing' from the desk; now he can voice his opinion without those pesky censors, like Brokaw.
But Brokaw is NOT worthy of being a moderator at a debate; he's wearing his allegiance on his sleeve.

[Moochy]

14. I agree Keith was legitmately happy to no longer play referee

He tried and failed to bite his tongue, and thats never fun. I'm sure he had people like Willie Geist yelling in his earpiece from the control room. (He's that putz who was Tucker's sidekick, and now he's Morning Joe's on-air producer.)

[drbtg1]

15. I'm skeptical about Mr. Olbermann "welcoming the firing"

Back when Mr. Olbermann shared an hour on Dan Patrick's ESPN radio show when the Imus thing was going on, Mr. Olbermann stated that he believed you tend not to put your employer in a bad light (he respected this even when he was at Fox Sports and a controversial Dodgers story came up) unless there is no choice, morally or otherwise. Consequently, I think the opinion Mr. Olbermann stated on Mr. Letterman's show may have been simply a positive spin on this dirty game NBC played with McCain.

In any event, the solution MSNBC had done for the debates may be better, with live Countdown shows before and after followed by Hardball and Dr. Maddow. (BTW, for the next debate, MSNBC switched Dr. Maddow and Mr. Matthews shows. Dr. Maddow will come first, immediately following the post-debate Countdown. How long will it take for Brokaw to complain about that?) The format for election night will probably suck though.

On edit: The McCain Corp. may eventually regret the deal they made with NBC. It would probably be better for McCain Corp. to have Mr. Olbermann as an anchor who does interviews and is very generous to those being interviewed, as he was with John Ashcroft on Countdown, rather than strictly an amazing commentator with free reign.

[Moochy]

4. Brokaw is a Petty, Washed-up Drunk with a Speech Impediment

[asjr]

6. I thought I would never say I miss

Tim Russert, but Tom Brokaw and David Gregory have no business being in television.

[Gin]

7. Brokaw's voice is irritating.....Gregory has been bought and paid for

by shrub...I remember when shrub "lovingly" smacked him in the face at the state of the union...I never thought Gregory would go over to the dark side after that.

Todd is full of himself...and it happened so fast...it's almost funny!

2 Todd's on the national stage is more than a person can stand.

[asjr]

9. And to realize these guys make

the big bucks.

[spanone]

8. when newscasters think they know more than the news, i turn them off immediately

[SoCalDem]

10. Oh puleeeease..Brokaw "advocated"???

:puke:

He came out of "retirement" (all he did was quit the daily job..he never really "left"..) to "moderate" the way MSNBC anchors "acted"..

Go back to Montana & ride your horsie, Tom...

[babylonsister]

13. He is puke-worthy, isn't he. nt

[XOKCowboy]

16. I got to shake Dan Rather's hand last Friday

He was sitting in front of me on a flight and I didn't know it till we were disembarking. I shook his hand and told him how much I missed him on the evening news. I also told him I thought he'd gotten railroaded and he got a chuckle out of that. He's a nice guy and it was an honor to meet him.

Brokaw might at one time have deserved respect but he's sold out completely. He's not worthy to launder Dan Rather's underwear.