Tom Brokaw

A veteran news anchorman and television journalist for decades, as well as a former White House correspondent and host of "Today" (NBC, 1952- ), Tom Brokaw became a respected newsman who reported on national and worldwide events from the Watergate scandal to the dismantling of the Berlin Wall to the terrorist attacks of 9/11. As one of the "Big Three" that included ABC's Peter Jennings and CBS' Dan Rather, Brokaw sat upon his perch as anchorman and managing editor of the "NBC Nightly News" (NBC, 1970- ), and helped usher in the era of news anchor as globetrotting celebrity. But of the three, Brokaw proved the most popular and earned the title of most-watched television news anchor, starting in the mid-1990s and holding fast until his departure from the newscast in 2004. During that illustrious span, Brokaw became a noted author with The Greatest Generation (1998), which detailed the generation that grew up during the Great Depression and fought in World War II. Following his departure from the "Nightly News," he became a fixture on NBC and its sister cable station MSNBC as a political commentator and correspondent, while also serving as the host of several notable news magazine specials and briefly anchoring "Meet the Press" (NBC, 1947- ) following the death of friend and colleague, Tim Russert. Certainly one of the most decorated journalists of his time, Brokaw carved out a reputation for fairness, accuracy and dedication to the news.