Brokaw Picked To Lead "Meet" Through November

NBC put out the following announcement today:

Beginning on Sunday, June 29, NBC News' Tom Brokaw will serve as moderator of "Meet the Press" through the 2008 presidential election. The broadcast will continue to originate from the NBC News Bureau in Washington D.C. The announcement was made today by NBC News President Steve Capus.

"A lot has been said in recent days about what 'Meet the Press' means to NBC News and to the nation," said Capus. "To have someone of Tom's stature step up and dedicate himself to ensuring its ongoing success is not only a testament to his loyalty to Tim, but his enduring commitment to NBC News and our viewers."
“Some of my best memories from covering the last several presidential elections have included working closely with Tom, so I know just how lucky we are to have him step in as moderator for 'Meet the Press,'" said executive producer Betsy Fischer. "His intellect, focus and calming presence is exactly what we need to move forward smartly and remain the No. 1 public affairs show on television as we head into one of the most pivotal elections in our nation's history."

For his part, Brokaw said, "I've been appearing on 'Meet the Press' since the days of Watergate when it was moderated by Lawrence E. Spivak right through the distinguished tenure of my great friend, Tim Russert, so I feel right at home. Tim made 'Meet the Press' the center of the universe for informative and lively discussions of public affairs, particularly the exciting 2008 campaign for president, and I intend to continue that commitment to our viewers."

Brian Williams said the following on today's "Meet the Press":

We have an announcement this morning that we think will please loyal viewers of this great broadcast. Beginning next week my friend, Tom Brokaw, has agreed to step in as moderator of 'Meet the Press' to get us through this election season. We're fortunate to have Tom, not only of course as part of NBC News' political all star team, certainly a big part of our NBC Nightly News family and allow me to add: During these difficult days, Tom has been an enormous comfort here in this Washington bureau, for that matter throughout this news division.