Tom Brokaw

Tom Brokaw

Thomas John Brokaw (born February 6, 1940 in Webster, South Dakota) is a popular USA television journalist, presently working on regularly scheduled news documentaries for the NBC television network, and is the former NBC News anchorman/ managing editor of the program NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw. His last broadcast as anchorman was on December 1, 2004, succeeded by Brian Williams in a carefully planned transition. In the later part of Tom Brokaw's tenure, NBC Nightly News became most watched cable or broadcast news program in the United States. Brokaw also hosted, wrote, and moderated special programs on a wide range of topics. Throughout his career, he has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors.

Brokaw serves on the Howard University School of Communications Board of Visitors and on the boards of trustees of the University of South Dakota, the Norton Simon Museum, and the American Museum of Natural History. As well as his television journalism, he has written for periodicals and has authored books.

Early life

Tom Brokaw was born in Webster, South Dakota and graduated from Yankton High Senior High School in Yankton, South Dakota, where he partnered with Tim Willert in Debate. According to debate-team legend, his wife was a better debater than he was. As a high school student, Brokaw was governor of South Dakota Boy's State, and in that right, he accompanied then South Dakota Governor Joe Foss to New York City for a joint appearance on a TV game show. It was to be the beginning of a long relationship with Foss, whom Brokaw would later feature in his book about World War II veterans, The Greatest Generation.

Brokaw started his collegiate studies at the University of Iowa from 1958 to 1959 where he says he majored in "beer and coeds". [1] Brokaw dropped out there and then transferred to the University of South Dakota where he studied political science, worked as a radio reporter from 1959 to 1962, and was affectionately nicknamed "Two Point Tom" - a derogatory reference toward his GPA.

He has been married to Meredith Lynn Auld (a former Miss South Dakota and author) since 1962. They have three daughters.

Career

His television career began at KTIV in Sioux City, Iowa, followed by a three-year stint at KMTV in Omaha, Nebraska. [2]

In 1965, he became an editor and anchorman of the late-evening news on WSB-TV in Atlanta, Georgia. The following year he joined NBC News, reporting from California and anchoring for KNBC in Los Angeles. From 1973-1976 he was a NBC News White House correspondent, covering the Watergate scandal. During this time, he was asked by the higher-rated CBS News to join it after CBS's management had decided its reporter, Dan Rather, was too hostile to then-President Richard Nixon. The switch never happened after word of it was leaked to the press.

In 1976, Brokaw became NBC News' Today Show host. He was also the floor reporter for the two major parties' presidential nominating conventions. In 1981, Brokaw began co-anchoring NBC Nightly News, along with co-anchor Roger Mudd. When Mudd went on to host Meet the Press and American Almanac, a weekly newsmagazine, Brokaw became the sole anchor of the NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw on September 5, 1983.

In 1987, he wrote The Arms, the Men, the Money, investigating Contra rebels. That same year he conducted the first one-on-one American TV interview with Mikhail Gorbachev, and won an A.I.duPont-Columbia University Award. He also moderated the debates among all declared presidential candidates of both parties.

In 1989, he reported the collapse of the Berlin Wall. From 1992-1993 he anchored The Brokaw Report series of prime-time "critical issues" specials. He was also host, with Katie Couric, of a prime-time newsmagazine called Now. The show aired from 1993-1994, and was folded into the multi-night Dateline NBC program.

In 1995, Brokaw reported from the site of the Oklahoma City bombing. The following year he reported from the scene of the TWA flight 800 tragedy.

In 1997, he interviewed Charlie Trie and Johnny Chung, key figures in the campaign finance abuse scandal.

In 1999, he conducted the first North American TV interview with Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov, in Moscow. He also traveled to Tirana, Albania during NATO airstrikes in Yugoslavia.

In 2000, he conducted the first American TV interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in Moscow. He was also Master of Ceremonies at the opening of the National D-Day Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana.

In September 2001, a letter containing anthrax was addressed to him as part of the 2001 anthrax attacks. Brokaw wasn't harmed, but two NBC News employees were infected.

In 2002, Brokaw announced his intention to retire as anchor of the NBC Nightly News after the 2004 Presidential election. NBC then announced that Brian Williams would replace Brokaw as the anchor of NBC Nightly News on December 2, 2004. NBC also announced that Brokaw will remain with the network in a part-time capacity through 2014 serving as an analyst and producing documentary programs.

By the end of his time as Nightly News anchor, Brokaw was regarded as the most popular news personality in the United States. His program was consistently rated the highest evening news show, topping Dan Rather and the late Peter Jennings in the evening news ratings. This may explain why Brokaw was the only one of the three evening news anchors granted a sit-down interview with President George W. Bush.

Along with the two other pillars of the so-called "Big Three" â€" Peter Jennings (ABC) and Dan Rather (CBS) - Brokaw had ushered in the era of the TV news anchor as lavishly compensated, globe-trotting star in the 1980s. The magnitude of a news event could be measured by whether Brokaw and his counterparts on the other two networks showed up on the scene. Brokaw's retirement in December 2004, followed by Rather's ouster from the CBS Evening news in March 2005, and finally Jennings's death on August 7, 2005, brought that era to a close.

He closed his final Nightly News broadcast in front of 15.7 million viewers on NBC by saying:

"That's Nightly News for this Wednesday night. I'm Tom Brokaw. You'll see Brian Williams here tomorrow night; and I'll see you along the way."

Ratings

By the time American viewers became familiar with Tom Brokaw and his NBC Nightly News the program was consistently ranked #1, Peter Jennings and World News Tonight was ranked #2, Dan Rather and the CBS Evening News was ranked #3. Earlier in his career, CBS under Cronkite and Rather was #1 in the early and mid 1980s, Jennings was #1 in the late 1980s and mid 1990s, and Brokaw took over as America's most watched anchor in the late 1990s, holding the spot until his retirement in 2004.

Present

He is presently on the board of directors of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Some political independents, Libertarians, Reform party members and Green Party members have publicly urged Tom Brokaw to run as their candidate for national office: U.S. Senate, or President.

Brokaw recently completed a documentary on global warming for the Discovery Channel entitled Global Warming: What You Need to Know, with Tom Brokaw [3].

Books

*1998 The Greatest Generation ISBN 0375502025 (hardback) ISBN 0385334621 (paperback) Depicts the Americans who came of age during the Great Depression and fought World War II, and went on to build America.
*1999 The Greatest Generation Speaks ISBN 0375503943 (hardback) ISBN 0385335385 (paperback)
*2001 An Album of Memories ISBN 0375505814 (hardback) ISBN 0375760415 (paperback)
*2002 A Long Way from Home: Growing Up in the American Heartland ISBN 0375507639 (hardback) ISBN 0375759352 (paperback)

Awards

Public and industry awards

*Peabody Award for a report called To Be An American
*Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards for excellence in broadcast journalism for Dateline NBC documentary special, Why Can't We Live Together on hidden realities of racial separation in suburban America
*Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards for excellence in broadcast journalism for his interview with Mikhail Gorbachev
*seven Emmy Awards including one for China in Crisis special report
*1990 National Headliner Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews for advancing the understanding of religion, race and ethnicity.
*1992 Emmy award for reporting on floods in the Midwest
*1995 Dennis Kauff Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism from Boston University
*1995 Lowell Thomas Award from Marist College.
*1997 University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism
*1997 inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame
*1998 Fred Friendly First Amendment Award, a tribute to those "individuals whose broadcast career reflects a consistent devotion to freedom of speech and the principles embodied in the First Amendment."
*1998 American Legion award for distinguished public service in the field of communication.
*1998 Citizens' Scholarship Foundation of America's President's Award recognizing "devotion to helping young people through scholarships."
*1999 Congressional Medal of Honor Society's "Tex" McCrary Excellence in Journalism Award
*1999 Emmy award for international coverage of the Kosovo conflict
*2005 Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
*2005 Four Freedoms Medal: Freedom of Speech And Expression
*2006 Washington State University Edward R. Murrow School of Communications Lifetime Achievement in Broadcasting Award

Honorary degrees

*University of Notre Dame
*Emory University
*Duke University
*Washington University in St. Louis
*Boston College
*University of Pennsylvania
*Fairfield University
*Brandeis University
*Dartmouth College
*Florida State University

References

There are several homages of Mr. Brokaw to date. On several episodes of Ozzy & Drix, there is a Nerve News Network reporter named Tom Bronchia, who has a very similar voice style to Mr. Brokaw. SNL's Chris Parnell and former cast member Dana Carvey have both performed notable Brokaw impersonations.

The Simpsons also pokes fun at Mr. Brokaw in several episodes. One such episode was of a Civil War reenactment, where Brokaw's character is giving a speech praising the World War II veterans (a reference to his The Greatest Generation book). When the WWII veterans march off to break up the Civil War reenactment, Grandpa Simpson yells, "I want a back massage afterwards!" Brokaw gets down on one knee and says, "Yes, master."

The Howard Stern Show often plays a sound clip taken from an August 2004 NBC Nighly Newscast where Mr. Brokaw accidentally says bukkake while trying to pronounce the name of the Russian city of "Buchalki."

Trivia

* Brokaw has a hard time pronouncing the names of Leon Klinghoffer and Achille Lauro.

External links

*Official Biography from NBC News
*Biography from the Museum of Broadcast Communications
*Columbus Speech & Hearing Center biography
*Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards - official site