Tom Brokaw | |
|---|---|
 Brokaw in 2015 | |
| Born | Thomas John Brokaw (1940-02-06)February 6, 1940 (age 86) Webster, South Dakota, U.S. |
| Education | University of South Dakota (BA) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1960–present |
| Employer | NBC (1966–2021) |
| Notable credits |
|
| Term | Anchor ofNBC Nightly News |
| Predecessor | John Chancellor |
| Successor | Brian Williams |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Signature | |
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Thomas John Brokaw (/ˈbroʊkɔː/; born February 6, 1940)[2] is an American author and retired network television journalist. He first served as the co-anchor ofThe Today Show from 1976 to 1981 withJane Pauley, then as the anchor and managing editor ofNBC Nightly News for 22 years (1982–2004). In the previous decade he served as a weekend anchor for the program from 1973 to 1976. He is the only person to have hosted all three majorNBC News programs:The Today Show,NBC Nightly News, and, briefly,Meet the Press. He formerly held a special correspondent post for NBC News.
Along with his competitorsPeter Jennings atABC News, andDan Rather atCBS News, Brokaw was one of the "Big Three" Americannews anchors during the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s.[3] All three hosted their networks' flagship nightly news programs for more than 20 years.[a]
Brokaw has also written several books on American history and society in the 20th century includingThe Greatest Generation (1998). He occasionally writes and narrates documentaries for other outlets.[5] In 2021, NBC announced that Brokaw would retire after 55 years at the network, one of the longest standing anchors in the world at the same news network.[b]
Brokaw is the recipient of numerous awards and honors including the twoPeabody Awards; twoEmmy Awards; thePresidential Medal of Freedom, which was awarded to him by PresidentBarack Obama in 2014;[8] and the FrenchLegion of Honor in 2016.
Brokaw was born inWebster, South Dakota, the son of Eugenia "Jean" (née Conley; 1917–2011),[9] who worked in sales and as a post office clerk, and Anthony Orville "Red" Brokaw (1912–1982).[10] He was the eldest of their three sons (brothers named William and Michael) and named for his maternal great-grandfather, Thomas Conley.
His father was a descendant ofHuguenot immigrants Bourgon and Catherine (née Le Fèvre) Broucard, and his mother wasIrish American.[11][12] His paternal great-grandfather, Richard P. Brokaw, founded the town ofBristol, South Dakota, and the Brokaw House, a small hotel and the first structure in Bristol.[13]
Brokaw's father was a construction foreman for theArmy Corps of Engineers. He worked at theBlack Hills Ordnance Depot (BHOD) and helped constructFort Randall Dam; his job often required the family to resettle throughout South Dakota during Brokaw's early childhood.[14] The Brokaws lived for short periods in Bristol,Igloo (the small residential community of the BHOD), andPickstown, before settling inYankton, where Brokaw attended high school.[11][14]
As a high school student attendingYankton Senior High School,[15] Brokaw was the governor of the school'sAmerica Legion Boys State chapter, and in that capacity he accompanied then-South Dakota GovernorJoe Foss to New York City for a joint appearance on a TVgame show. It was to be the beginning of a long relationship with Foss, whom Brokaw would later feature in his book about World War IIveterans,The Greatest Generation. Brokaw also became an advisory board member of theJoe Foss Institute.[16]
Brokaw matriculated at theUniversity of Iowa inIowa City, Iowa, but dropped out after a year as he apparently failed to keep up in his studies, in his words majoring in "beer and co-eds".[17] He later transferred to theUniversity of South Dakota, where he graduatedPhi Beta Kappa in 1962 with aBachelor of Arts degree inpolitical science.[15] In 2010, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Iowa, and later donated his papers to its library. He joked that the "honorary degree is especially coveted because it helps to make up for the uneven (to put it mildly) performance of my freshman year."
For several years, Brokaw mountain-climbed with the "Do Boys", whose members includedYvon Chouinard andDouglas Tompkins.[18][19] He owned a home on 53 acres inPound Ridge, New York, for over two decades.[20]
Brokaw's television career began atKTIV inSioux City, Iowa, followed by stints atKMTV inOmaha, Nebraska, andWSB-TV inAtlanta.[21] In 1966, he joinedNBC News, reporting fromLos Angeles and anchoring the 11:00 p.m. news forKNBC. In 1973, NBC made BrokawWhite House correspondent, covering theWatergate scandal, and anchor of the Saturday editions ofNightly News. He became co-host (withJane Pauley) of NBC'sToday Show in 1976 and remained in the job until 1981, when he was succeeded byBryant Gumbel.
Brokaw kept a closely guarded secret for many years: in 2017 Brokaw wrote of having been offered – and having promptly turned down – thepress secretary position in theNixon White House in 1969. While living in California before Nixon made his political comeback, Brokaw had come to knowH. R. 'Bob' Haldeman (White House chief of staff and initiator of the offer) as well as Nixon's press secretary,Ron Ziegler, and others members of the White House staff.[22]
In 2019, Brokaw wrote a book entitledThe Fall of Richard Nixon: A Reporter Remembers Watergate, about his experiences working as a reporter and member of the White House press corps.[23]
On April 5, 1982, Brokaw began co-anchoringNBC Nightly News from New York withRoger Mudd in Washington, succeedingJohn Chancellor. After a year, NBC News presidentReuven Frank concluded that the dual-anchor program was not working and selected Brokaw to be sole anchor.[24] TheNBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw commenced on September 5, 1983. Among other news items, he covered theChallenger disaster,[25]EDSA Revolution, theJune Struggle,Loma Prieta earthquake,[26] fall of theBerlin Wall,[27] andHurricane Andrew.[28]
Brokaw scored a major coup when, on November 9, 1989, he was the first English-language broadcast journalist to report theFall of the Berlin Wall. Brokaw attended a televised press conference organized inEast Berlin byGünter Schabowski, press spokesman forEast GermanPolitburo, which had just decided to allow its citizens to apply to permanently leave the country through its border withWest Germany. When Schabowski was asked when this loosening of regulations would take effect, he glanced through his notes, then said, "sofort, unverzüglich" ("immediately, without delay"), touching off a stampede of East Berliners to theWall. Brokaw had an interview with Schabowski after the press conference, who repeated his "immediately" statement when pressed. Later that evening Brokaw reported from the west side ofBrandenburg Gate on this announcement and the pandemonium that had broken out in East Berlin because of it.[29]
As anchor, Brokaw conducted the first one-on-one American television interviews with Soviet leaderMikhail Gorbachev andRussian PresidentVladimir Putin. He andKatie Couric hosted a prime-timenewsmagazine,Now, that aired from 1993 to 1994 before being folded into the multi-nightDateline NBC program.[30]
Also, in 1993, on the first broadcast ofLate Show with David Letterman onCBS, in response toDavid Letterman's monologue containing jokes aboutNBC, Brokaw walked on stage in a surprise appearance (accompanied byPaul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra playing theNBC Nightly News theme).[31] He congratulated Letterman on his new show and wished him well, but also stated he was disappointed and shocked; he subsequently walked over to the man holding thecue cards, took two, and remarked, "These last two jokes are theintellectual property of NBC!", leaving the stage afterwards.[31] Letterman then remarked, "Who would have thought you would ever hear the words 'intellectual property' and 'NBC' in the same sentence?"[31]
In 1996 Brokaw made the following statement aboutRichard Jewell's suspected involvement in the1996 Olympic Park bombing, after which Jewell sued NBC News:
The speculation is that the FBI is close to making the case. They probably have enough to arrest [Jewell] right now, probably enough to prosecute him, but you always want to have enough to convict him as well. There are still some holes in this case.
Even though NBC stood by its story, the network agreed to pay Jewell $500,000.
OnSeptember 11, 2001, Brokaw joinedKatie Couric andMatt Lauer around 9:30 a.m., following the live attack on the South Tower of theWorld Trade Center, and continued to anchor all day, until after midnight. Following the collapse of the second tower, Brokaw observed: "This is war. This is a declaration and an execution of an attack on the United States."[32][33] He continued to anchor coverage to midnight on the following two days. Later that month, a letter containinganthrax was addressed to him as part of the2001 anthrax attacks. Brokaw was not harmed, but two NBC News employees were infected. In 2008, he testified before theCommission on Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism about the anthrax attacks, publicly discussing his experiences for the first time in a detailed, day-by-day account.[34][35]
In 2002, NBC announced that Brokaw would retire as anchor of theNBC Nightly News following the2004 Presidential election, to be succeeded byBrian Williams. Brokaw would remain withNBC News in a part-time capacity from that point onwards, serving as an analyst and anchoring and producing documentary programs. Brokaw closed his finalNightly News broadcast in front of 15.7 million viewers on NBC on December 1, 2004, by saying:
Well the time is here. We've been through a lot together through dark days and nights and seasons of hope and joy. Whatever the story, I had only one objective, to get it right. When I failed, it was personally painful, and there was no greater urgency than course correction. On those occasions, I was grateful for your forbearance and always mindful that your patience and attention didn't come with a lifetime warranty.
I was not alone here, of course. I am simply the most conspicuous part of a large, thoroughly dedicated and professional staff that extends from just beyond these cameras, across the country, and around the world. In too many instances, in places of grave danger and personal hardship and they're family to me.
What have I learned here? More than we have time to recount this evening, but the enduring lessons through the decades are these: it's not the questions that get us in trouble, it's the answers. And just as important, no one person has all the answers.
Just ask a member of the generation that I came to know well, the men and women who came of age in the Great Depression who had great personal sacrifice, saved the world during World War II and returned home to dedicate their lives to improving the nation they had already served so nobly. They weren't perfect, no generation is, but this one left a large and vital legacy of common effort to find common ground here and abroad in which to solve our most vexing problems. They did not give up their personal beliefs and greatest passions, but they never stopped learning from each other and most of all, they did not give up on the idea that we're all in this together, we still are.
And it is in that spirit that I say, thanks, for all that I have learned from you. That's been my richest reward.
That'sNightly 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.
By the end of his time asNightly News anchor, Brokaw was regarded as the most popular news personality in the United States.Nightly News had moved into first place in theNielsen ratings in late 1996[36] and held on to the spot for the remainder of Brokaw's tenure on the program, placing him ahead ofABC'sPeter Jennings andWorld News Tonight, andCBS'sDan Rather and theCBS Evening News. Along with Jennings and Rather, Brokaw helped usher in the era of the TVnews anchor as a 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 ousting from theCBS Evening News in March 2005, and Jennings's death in August 2005, brought that era to a close.[37]
After leaving the anchor chair, Brokaw remained at NBC as Special Correspondent, providing periodic reports forNightly News. He served as an NBC analyst during the 2008 presidential election campaign[38] and moderated thesecond presidential debate betweenBarack Obama andJohn McCain atBelmont University. He reported documentaries for theDiscovery Channel and theHistory Channel and in 2006 delivered one of the eulogies during thestate funeral of former President Gerald R. Ford.
On June 13, 2008, when NBC interrupted its regular programming to announce the sudden death of NBC News Washington Bureau Chief andMeet the Press moderatorTim Russert, Brokaw served as the announcer. A week later, NBC announced that Brokaw would serve as host ofMeet the Press on an interim basis. He was succeeded byDavid Gregory in December 2008.
Brokaw serves on the board of directors of theCouncil on Foreign Relations, theCommittee to Protect Journalists, theInternational Rescue Committee, and theMayo Clinic. He is also a member of theHoward University School of Communications Board of Visitors and a trustee of theUniversity of South Dakota, theNorton Simon Museum, theAmerican Museum of Natural History, and theInternational Rescue Committee. He also provides the voiceover for aUniversity of Iowa advertisement that airs on television duringIowa Hawkeyes athletic events.[39]
In 2011, Brokaw began hostingThe Boys in the Hall, a baseball documentary series forFox Sports Net.[40]
In December 2012, Brokaw starred in theMormon Tabernacle Choir's annual Christmas concert, with live audiences of 84,000. The concert, titledHome for the Holidays, was nationally televised in December 2013.[41]
In April 2014, a new broadcast facility opened on theUniversal Studios Hollywood lot, and named in Brokaw's honor as the Brokaw News Center.[42] The facility housesKNBC-TV,Telemundo owned-and-operated stationKVEA, and the Los Angeles bureau ofNBC News.
In November 2014,President Barack Obama presented Brokaw with thePresidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor. He received the honor with the citation, "The chronicler of the Greatest Generation...we celebrate him as one of our nation’s greatest journalists".[43]
On March 11, 2016, Brokaw gave one of the eulogies for former First LadyNancy Reagan at her funeral. He spoke about his relationship with both the Reagans as a reporter and later anchor.[44]
On January 22, 2021, NBC announced Brokaw would retire after 55 years at the network, one of only two news anchors in the world who have spent the longest time on the same news network, along withEcuadorian news anchorAlfonso Espinosa de los Monteros who was onEcuavisa for over 56 years from 1967 to May 2023.[6][7]
Since 1962, Brokaw has been married to author Meredith Lynn Auld.[45] They have three daughters: Jennifer, Andrea, and Sarah.[46] Brokaw and his wife spend considerable time at their ranch nearLivingston, Montana, which they bought in 1989.[47][48]
On September 6, 2012, Brokaw was hospitalized after appearing onMSNBC'sMorning Joe. He latertweeted that he was "all well" and explained his illness as having accidentally taken half a dose ofAmbien in the morning.[49] He was diagnosed withmultiple myeloma, a treatable but incurable blood cancer, in August 2013 at theMayo Clinic.[50] Brokaw and his physicians were "very encouraged with his progress".[51] He continued to work for NBC throughout his treatments. On December 21, 2014, Brokaw announced that his cancer is in remission.[52][53][54][55] His 2015 book,A Lucky Life Interrupted: A Memoir of Hope (published by Random House), was about his cancer battle.
In 2018, Brokaw was accused of having made unwanted sexual advances toward two women in the 1990s.[56][57] Brokaw denied the allegations.[58][59] In response to the allegations, former colleaguesRachel Maddow,Andrea Mitchell,Maria Shriver,Kelly O'Donnell, and 64 others, signed a letter characterizing Brokaw as "a man of tremendous decency and integrity".[60][61]
Over his career, Brokaw has received SevenEmmy Awards including one forChina in Crisis special report.
| Organizations | Year | Notes | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota Broadcasting Hall of Fame | 1981 | First recipient of the Tom Brokaw Award | Honored | [63] |
| Peabody Award | 1989 | For the report calledTo Be an American | Honored | [64] |
| American Academy of Achievement | 1989 | Golden Plate Award | Honored | [65][66] |
| Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Awards | 1989 | For theDateline NBC special onracial separation insuburban America | Honored | |
| 1990 | For excellence in broadcast journalism for his interview withMikhail Gorbachev | Honored | ||
| National Conference of Christians and Jews | 1990 | National Headliner Award | Honored | |
| South Dakota Hall of Fame | 1991 | Inductee into the South Dakota Hall of Fame | Honored | [67] |
| Freedom Forum | 1992 | Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in the Media | Honored | |
| Emmy Award | 1993 | Reporting on floods in the Midwest | Won | |
| Boston University | 1995 | The Dennis Kauff Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism | Honored | |
| Marist College | 1995 | Lowell Thomas Award | Honored | |
| University of MissouriSchool of Journalism | 1997 | Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism | Honored | |
| Fred Friendly First Amendment Award | 1998 | For "individuals devoted to freedom of speech and First Amendment" | Honored | |
| American Legion | 1998 | Distinguished public service Award | Honored | |
| Citizens' Scholarship Foundation | 1998 | America's President's Award | Honored | |
| Congressional Medal of Honor Society | 1999 | Tex" McCrary Excellence in Journalism Award | Honored | |
| Emmy Awards | 1999 | International coverage of theKosovo conflict | Won | |
| Radio Television Digital News Association | 2002 | Paul White Award | Honored | [68] |
| Peabody Award | 2003 | For his special report called "A Question of Fairness" | Honored | [69] |
| American Academy of Arts and Sciences; | 2005 | Elected to its membership | Honored | |
| Freedom of Speech And Expression | 2005 | Four Freedoms Medal | Honored | |
| Washington State University | 2006 | Edward R. Murrow Lifetime Achievement in Broadcasting Award | Honored | |
| United States Military Academy at West Point | 2006 | Sylvanus Thayer Award | Honored | |
| Arizona State University | 2006 | Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism | Honored | [70] |
| Television Hall of Fame | 2006 | Induction into the Television Hall of Fame | Honored | |
| Horatio Alger Association | 2007 | Horatio Alger Award for Distinguished Americans | Honored | |
| Broadcast Journalism fromWFUV | 2011 | Charles Osgood Lifetime Achievement Award | Honored | |
| Vanderbilt University | 2012 | The Nichols-Chancellor's Medal | Honored | [71] |
| Old Sturbridge Village | 2012 | Ken Burns Lifetime Achievement Award | Honored | [72] |
| Peabody Award | 2013 | Honorary Peabody for enhancing his reputation since he left the NBC News desk | Honored | [73] |
| Presidential Medal of Freedom | 2014 | Medal presented by PresidentBarack Obama | Honored | [74] |
| French Legion of Honor | 2016 | For supporting ofWWII veterans, along with actorTom Hanks andGordon H. Mueller | Honored | [75] |
| Poynter Institute | 2016 | Lifetime Achievement in Journalism Award | Honored | [76] |
Honorary degrees
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)tom brokaw sarah jennifer andrea.
I am facing a long list of grievances from a former colleague who left NBC News angry that she had failed in her pursuit of stardom. She has unleashed a torrent of unsubstantiated criticism and attacks on me.
| Media offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Today Co-Anchor withJane Pauley June 7, 1976 – December 31, 1981 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | NBC Nightly News Anchor April 5, 1982 – December 1, 2004 (co-anchor withRoger Mudd until September 5, 1983) | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Meet the Press Moderator June 29, 2008 – December 7, 2008 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Academics | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
