Tom Brokaw, who announced his retirement from NBC News on Friday, probably has a lot of friends.
Andrea Mitchell, Lester Holt, Dan Rather, Maria Shriver and many more wished him well. They recall that during his 55 years at the network, he worked with Brokaw when he covered the 1968 presidential campaign, including the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy; the first political campaign of President Ronald Reagan; and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
As NBC noted, Brokaw was the only anchor to lead all three of its major news programs: Nagnuus, Today and Meet the press. He sat in the anchor chair for the first broadcast on 30 Rock from 1982 to 2004, and he has continued to contribute to NBC coverage in the years since he left the position. In 2008, he completed the moderator of the interview program Meet the press for several months after the death of Tim Russert. He continued to work as a contributor and commentator.
Mitchell, who works with Brokaw at NBC, said he is just as important to the network as his peacock mascot.
.@NBCNuus without # TomBrokaw is like the network without the peacock. He told America’s story through triumph and tragedy, from civil rights to Watergate to Normandy, from spacecraft to Iraq, Bush / Gore and 9/11. An unparalleled reporter and writer with more chapters to come
– Andrea Mitchell (@mitchellreports) 22 January 2021
The current host of the nightly news outlet that Brokaw once led, Holt, congratulated his colleague on the free time the 80-year-old plans to spend with his family.
Congratulations to my colleague @tombrokaw on a remarkable career at @nbcnews. From the turbulent sixties, to the fall of the Berlin Wall, to 9/11 and beyond, the nation has seen history unfold through your reporting. Thank you for your advice and friendship and enjoy your retirement.
– Lester Holt (@LesterHoltNBC) 22 January 2021
It was a ‘sad day’ for Steve Kornacki, the breakthrough star of NBC’s 2020 election coverage, who shared a vintage video of the veteran newsman in action.
A sad day when Tom Brokaw announces his retirement from NBC after 55 years.
Here from 9/5/83 is his first ever broadcast as the sole anchor of NBC Nightly News, the beginning of a 21-year run that will see him as America’s most popular and trusted news anchor: pic.twitter.com/bSSgrLXL2K
– Steve Kornacki (@SteveKornacki) 22 January 2021
On the contrary, Brokaw’s CBS competition from his days at NBC Nightly News, call him “always much more a friend.”
Tom has always been much more of a friend than a competitor. A complete professional, always under constant pressure. Happy retirement, Tom. I know you will keep yourself busy. Hope to see you soon along the route. https://t.co/o0GpNlc7NV
– Dan Rather (@DanRather) 22 January 2021
And there were many more kind words.
Tom Brokaw retires from NBC News after 55 years.
A true broadcast titan and historian of history – who was kind enough to give wisdom to a harvest of our new NBC correspondents a few years ago.
I wish you the best, Tom. https://t.co/Rt30W4q2CU pic.twitter.com/Mts4OjPSxg
– Geoff Bennett (@GeoffRBennett) 22 January 2021
So bitterly sweet to hear that big Tom Brokaw is retiring @NBCNuus after more than half a century. I am still upset that I had the chance to learn from him and am so incredibly grateful for the interest he has had in my career and the advice he has given so freely pic.twitter.com/ls66hPJLw7
– Kasie Hunt (@kasie) 22 January 2021
Brokaw’s other honors over the years include that NBC dedicated his West Coast facility, the Brokaw News Center, to him in 2014, and that President Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom the same year.
Brokaw himself issued a statement earlier in the day: “During one of the most complex and consequential periods in American history, a new generation of NBC News journalists, producers and technicians is providing America with timely, informative and critically important information. , 24/7. I could no longer be proud of them. ”
While leaving TV, the author of The Greatest Generation and other books, is expected to continue his work through writing.
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