Tom Brokaw retires, puts trust in ‘new generation of NBC News’

Jan. 22 (UPI) — NBC News announced the retirement of Tom Brokaw on Friday after 55 years with the network.

The 80-year-old anchor said in a statement that he trusts the new generation of NBC News to cover current events.

“During one of the most complex and consequential eras in American history, a new generation of NBC News journalists, producers and technicians is providing America with timely, insightful and critically important information, 24/7,” the statement read. “I could not be more proud of them.”

Brokaw began his NBC career in the Los Angeles Bureau in 1966. He was White House correspondent from 1972-1976 and hosted Today from 1976-1983.

Brokaw anchored NBC Nightly News from 1983-2004. He recurred as a special correspondent after vacating the anchor desk.

He filled in as moderator of Meet the Press when Tim Russert died. This made him the only anchor to host Today, NBC Nightly News and Meet the Press.

Highlights of Brokaw’s news career include interviewing Mikhail Gorbachev, covering the fall of the Berlin Wall and reporting on the Robert F. Kennedy assassination and Watergate.

Brokaw won Peabody, Dupont, Emmy and Edward R. Murrow awards for his broadcasts. In 2014, he was awarded the Medal of Freedom for his 2000 book The Greatest Generation, a book about World War II.

The anchor joined Twitter in 2009 and has 311,000 followers, whom he updates with commentary on real-time events. He survived a multiple myeloma cancer scare, reporting in 2014 it went into remission.

According to NBC News’ press release, Brokaw will continue to write books and articles after his retirement from broadcast.