OCR Text |
Show Brokaw to replace Russert By DAVID BAUDER AP Television Writer NEW YORK (AP) Veteran news anchor Tom Brokaw has agreed to moderate NBC's "Meet the Press" through the November election to fill the vacancy created by the death of Tim Russert. Brokaw will start next week, ;the network announced Sunday. Anchor Brian Williams did the show this week and announced the decision at its end. Brokaw first talked to NBC News President Steve Capus about what the network would do .when the two men rode a train back to New York from -Washington following Russert's .'funeral and memorial service on ^Wednesday. Brokaw told him -Saturday that he would do it, "Capus said. "I'm just thrilled that Tom has 'agreed to do this," Capus told • The Associated Press. ' The decision gives NBC a •well-known, authoritative pres-ence at the helm of the broadcast "in an election year. "Meet the :;Press11 dominated the Sunday morning ratings under Russcrt, 'reportedly earning $60 million in 'revenue, and Brokaw's presence could blunt any effort by ABC's second-place "This Week" with '.George Stephanopoulos to cut into the edge. Brokaw was the nation's most popular news anchor when he stepped down from "Nightly News" following the 2004 election. He has continued to make documentaries for NBC News and was a frequent commentator on MSNBC during primary night coverage this year. He said he volunteered for the job in part as a tribute to Russert, who died of a heart attack on June 13. The two men were close friends who spoke almost daily and Brokaw gave the opening speech at Russert's Kennedy Center memorial. "Tim was the first to say that 'Meet the Press' was a national treasure and he was a temporary custodian," Brokaw said by phone from Montana. "We both understood the importance of it to the country and to NBC News and he took it to an entirely new level." He intends to follow Russert's template of aggressive questioning based on research of a guest's public record. The show will continue to be Washington-based, with Betsy Fischer as executive producer. "Many people have described this election as the election of a lifetime and we're in the thick of it," Capus said. "It just logically makes sense to have someone that the nation knows and the nation trusts with a steady hand." It also gives NBC News lime to study its options before deciding on a successor. Brokaw joked during Russert's memorial service that the Kennedy Center was filled with people interested in the job. David Gregory, Andrea Mitchell and Chris Matthews are considered the lop in-house candidates. Brokaw, 68, wouldn't be the oldest Sunday morning anchor if he decided to stick with it. CBS News' "Face the Nation" host Bob Schieffer is 71. ^ However, Brokaw has made it clear the move is temporary, Capus said. The plan is for me to be in place until they can find somebody who can take it over on a permanent basis," Brokaw said. Brokaw had already planned to be a "utility player" in NBC News' convention and election coverage, and is the mosl likely choice to take the analyst's role beside Williams that Russert once filled. He's already emerged as a voice of caution during opinionated MSNBC coverage with Matthews and Keith Olbermann. NBC News must also find someone for Russcrl's job as Washington bureau chief. Williams' announcement Sunday followed a package of highlights from Wednesday's memorial service. Brokaw last week anchored a "Meet the Press" that was entirely a Russert tribute. Some critics have accused NBC News of being excessive in its Russert memorializing, but Capus said he's received condolence letters from world leaders and that it was clear Russcrt had touched people more than typical journalists do. He noted that other networks covered Russert's death extensively and that CBS News placed a full-page condolence ad in The New York Times last week. "I offer no apologies," he said. Prizes awarded for global music , LOS ANGELES (AP) More than $250,000 in prizes were awarded after a weeklong competition that mingles features from "American Idol" with the world of classical music. Top prizes of $50,000 in the ;;Jose" Iturbi International Music ^Competition were awarded to •soprano Angela Meade, 30, a resident artist at Philadelphia's ^Academy of Vocal Arts, and ^pianist Mariya Kim, 26, of the .Ukraine and Germany. Kim also 'shared the $3,000 Spanish Prize. :; The second annual contest, ,-held at the University of ^California, Los Angeles, fea- 0-1 The Park Record Wed/Thurs/Fri, June 25-27, 2008 tured musicians from around the globe. Winners were announced Sunday. The competition's sponsor, the Jose Iturbi Foundation, is named for the renowned concert pianist who appeared in several MGM musicals in the 1940s. It is dedicated to preserving Iturbi's legacy and to fulfilling his desire to bring emerging classical pianists and vocalists to the public's attention. "The talent of this year's competitors was staggering," said Donelle Dadigan, the foundation's president. "Interest in the final rounds was so intense that hundreds of people lined up in hope there would be last minute cancellations." The $3,000 People's Choice award for piano was given to Chetan Tierra. 24. a student at the Cleveland Institute of Music. The People's Choice award in the vocal competition was given to Rodell Rosel, 32, a native1 of the Philippines who has studied at Santa Monica College and UCLA. In addition to their $50,000 in first-place prize money, vocalist Meade and pianist Kim will perform during a cruise aboard the Queen Mary 2 next April. EXOTIC JEWELRY & ANTIQUES DAVIES REID FOR SERVICES & TRAINING IN PET CONTAINMENT NOW OPEN I N PARK CITY THE SILVER MOUNTAIN BUILDING AT KIMDALL JCT. l i l t Ulc Blvd • www.ifcmcireid • •11S.MS.7B47 It's All About Your D o g ART. ASK F O R MORE. Only I : M Digital System - &ifcst For Your Pet! 2-Year Battery Life - Longest in the Industry! Lifetime Equipment Warranty For morr? information about the wrtJLnn: nf sirta udiuriUfm. plcaia1 contact " Professional Instillation, Training, & Service. www.AmoncanflForTheArtB.orff. Gill Us For A Free In-Y;ird Estimate S i n C e Locally Owned and Opemtoi AMERICANS "-ARTS TTUD"DO I 1 " ° www.dQgwatchofi.i J $25 Savings Dinner Entrees when ordering two Goldener Hirsch Restaurant Reservations Required Good through July 6th, 2008 Please present this ad lor [he 525 navings. A 20% gratuity will be added co the bill bused on the original balance Experience che awardwinning Euro-American cuisine featuring Wiener Schnitzel & Four-Cheese Swiss Fondue Wine Spectator Award of Excellence 1995-2008 Goldener Hirsch Inn & Restaurant 435.649.7770 Silver Lake Village in Deer Valley Resort 'www. GoldenerHirschInn.com icfioatt/ w CITY/ H O T T M UTflH TUCMK csmrpnv me/cm/' PMRMM Or KK OFf-DfrOflDUJflY SmflJH HIT! Festival August 24-26, The party continues on • Main Street at these fine participating locations: RIVERHOR5E ON MAIN GOD ROCKS! jUn? <27TH - DUO m HECK YEAH • -"»EGYPTIAN THIiflTRI •5" D R A M A T I C A L L Y D I F F E R E N T FOR TICKETS CALL 435-649-9371 OR VISIT WWW.PARKCITYSHOWS.COAA |