NBC News names Tom Brokaw as interim host

Tom Brokaw was named today as the interim host of NBC's Sunday morning political talk show, Meet the Press.

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 presence at the helm of the broadcast in an election year. "Meet the Press" dominated the Sunday morning ratings under Russert, 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.