Tom Brokaw

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Tom Brokaw
Born February 6, 1940 (age 67)
Flag of United States Webster, South Dakota
Occupation TV news journalist
Spouse Meredith Lynn Auld
Parents Anthony and Jean
Children Jennifer Jean, Andrea Brooks and Sara Auld

Thomas John Brokaw (born February 6, 1940 in Webster, South Dakota) is a popular American television journalist, Previously working on regularly scheduled news documentaries for the NBC television network, and is the former NBC News anchorman and 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 the 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.

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[edit] Early life

Brokaw was born in Webster, South Dakota to Anthony Orville Brokaw and Jean Conley; he was the eldest of their three sons. He was named after his maternal great-grandfather, Thomas Conley. His father was of Huguenot descent, and his mother was Irish.[1] His paternal great-grandfather, Richard P. Brokaw, founded the town of Bristol, South kDakota and the Brokaw House, a small hotel and the first structure in Bristol.[2]

Brokaw's father was a construction worker for the Army Corps of Engineers. He worked at the Black Hills Ordnance Depot (BHOD) and helped construct Fort Randall Dam; his job often required the family to resettle during Brokaw's early childhood.[3] The Brokaws lived for short periods in Bristol, Igloo (the small residential community of the BHOD), and Pickstown, before settling in Yankton, where Brokaw attended high school.[1][3]

As a high school student, Brokaw was governor of South Dakota American Legion Boys 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. Tom Brokaw dropped out of The University of Iowa, where he says he majored in "beer and co-eds" before receiving his B.A. degree in Political Science from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion in 1962.

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

[edit] Career

His television career began at KTIV in Sioux City, Iowa, followed by a three-year stint at KMTV in Omaha, Nebraska. [1]

Brokaw reports on the August 9, 1974 "Today Show" about then-President Richard Nixon's resignation from office.
Brokaw reports on the August 9, 1974 "Today Show" about then-President Richard Nixon's resignation from office.

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 an 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. The letter said that Allah is Great and death to the United States


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 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" — 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 in August 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."

[edit] 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.

[edit] Present

In 2006, Tom Brokaw became the second journalist to receive the prestigious Sylvanus Thayer Award by the United States Military Academy at West Point. The first one was legendary news anchor man Walter Cronkite in 1997.

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

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 [2].

On November 19, 2006, Brokaw delivered the keynote speech at the annual Dedication Day Ceremony at the Soldiers' National Ceremony in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, honoring those who fought and died in the American Civil War [3].

On January 2, 2007, Brokaw delivered one of the eulogies during the state funeral of former President Gerald R. Ford.

[edit] Books

[edit] Awards

[edit] 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
  • 2006 Sylvanus Thayer Award: United States Military Academy at West Point
  • 2006 Walter Cronkite Award for Journalism Excellence at Arizona State University

[edit] Honorary degrees

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b McGuire, John M. (November 6, 2002). "From Yankton to Yankee Town". St. Louis Post-Dispatch, p. E1.
  2. ^ Brokaw, Tom. (2003). A Long Way from Home: Growing Up in the American Heartland in the Forties and Fifties, p. 9. New York: Random House.
  3. ^ a b Jordan, Larry (February 1995). "Tom Brokaw: A Heavyweight in a World of Lightweights". Midwest Today.

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Jim Hartz		 Today Co-Anchor with Jane Pauley
1976 – 1981		 Succeeded by
Bryant Gumbel
Preceded by
John Chancellor		 NBC Nightly News Anchor
April 5, 1982 - December 1 2004
Co-Anchor with Roger Mudd until September 5 1983		 Succeeded by
Brian Williams


Anchors of NBC Today
Garroway • Chancellor • Downs • McGee • Walters • Hartz • Brokaw • Pauley • Gumbel • Norville • Garagiola • Couric • Lauer • Vieira
Anchors of The NBC Nightly News
John Cameron Swayze • Chet Huntley • David Brinkley • Frank McGee • John Chancellor • Tom Brokaw • Roger Mudd • Brian Williams
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