Host of 'Meet The Press'
Russert was the host of NBC's "Meet the Press" since 1991.
Politics. It was one subject that seemed significantly larger than what my brain could handle. I began watching Tim Russert. His explanations, poignant and direct questioning and humor was riddled with love, understanding, respect and care for people. Mr. Russert made me a smarter and wiser person. I will truly miss him.
This is a tribute to Tim Russert.
CNN Newscast - Friday, June 13, 2008
TIM RUSSERT - DEAD AT 58
When I heard this news coming back from Busch Gardens today in Williamsburg, Virginia, I had to read it three times, because I couldn't believe Tim Russert was dead, at only the age of 58! I thought...Click the following link to view the full article:
CNN-The World in Shock
SILICON ALLEY INSIDER REPORT
Just thought you might like to know
Tim Russert's death earlier this month saddened many people -- and prompted a few odd birds to crow about the fact that news of the event had "broken" on Wikipedia before NBC had reported it. How did that happen? Here's how: An employee at Internet Broadcasting Services, a company which helps NBC run its local Web sites (for now), heard the news and updated Russert's page.Well, Internets, time to rally around your Woodstein. NBC employees tell the NYT that the "junior-level" worker has been fired. Presumably someone on Wikipedia will tell us where we can send donations to the mystery employee's legal defense/re-employment fund. Looks like Henry Blodget's ready to write the first check.
NBC Washington bureau chief dead
Moderator of Meet the Press
Tim Russert, NBC News' Washington bureau chief and the moderator of "Meet the Press," died Friday after suffering a heart attack at the bureau. He was 58.Russert was recording voiceovers for Sunday's "Meet the Press" broadcast when he collapsed. He was rushed to Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, where resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.
Russert's physician, Michael Newman, said cholesterol plaque ruptured in an artery, causing sudden coronary thrombosis.
Russert had earlier been diagnosed with asymptomatic coronary artery disease, but it was well-controlled with medication and exercise, and he had performed well on a stress test in late April, Newman said. An autopsy revealed that he also had an enlarged heart, Newman said.
Russert's death left his colleagues devastated.
He was "one of the premier political journalists and analysts of his time," Tom Brokaw, the former longtime anchor of "NBC Nightly News," said in announcing Russert's death Friday afternoon. Brian Williams, managing editor and anchor of "NBC Nightly News," called his death a "staggering, overpowering and sudden loss."
"Meet the Press," which he began hosting in 1991, was considered an essential proving ground in the career of any national politician.
Meeting Tim Russert
See what people who have met Tim have to say
I met Tim as he arrived for a presentation at the St. Louis Speaker Series at Powell Hall on October 4, 2004. I had a copy of his book, Big Russ and Me, on compact disk, for him to sign. He seemed...Click the following link to view the full article:
Meeting Tim in St. Louis
******
I met Tim Russert on Sunday, March 16 on the set of Meet The Press, along with a group of 100 journalism scholars part of the Al Neuharth Free Spirit Conference in Washington, DC. We viewed a live...
Click the following link to view the full article:
Meeting Tim in Washington
"If you tell the truth, you'll just need to remember one story."
Big Russ and Me: Father and Son, Lessons of Life
by Tim Russert
TIM RUSSERT Tim & dad "BIG RUSS" TODAY SHOW (2004)
Book
Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons
by Tim Russert
Tim Russert's advice to his son, Luke
CNN
TIM RUSSERT WTOP last radio address
Friday AM 6-13-08
The Fast One
Tim Russert on IMUS
Imus Interviews Tim Russert 01/04/08
Part I
Imus Interviews Tim Russert 01/04/08
Part II
curated content from YouTube
Tim Russert on NBC Civil War Decision
Imus has since been fired from the radio program 'Imus In The Morning' for inappropriate comments.
curated content from YouTube
Closure
For many who were not able to attend the public funeral of Tim Russert, here are some videos that will help to bring closure.
Tim Russert Memorial
Bruce Springsteen - Thunder Road
Wake/Public Funeral with Bruce Sprinstein Music
The Most Beautiful Tim Russert Tribute
"You're Missing" Remembering Tim russert, Father's Day 2008
The BEST Tim Russert Tribute
Luke Russert "Shares Memories of His Father" Tim Russert
Part 1/2
Luke Russert "Shares Memories of His Father" Tim Russert
Part 2/2
Maureen Orth (Tim Russert's Widow)
Mother/Widow/Author
Ms.Orth has led a fascinating life. In addition to being the beloved wife of the late Tim Russert, she has been a Peace Corp volunteer, visiting the closed and jinxed set of "Apocalypse Now", Maureen has seen the celebrity machine from the inside as a writer for Vanity Fair magazine.Ms.Orth gets right to the point no sugar coating going on here, she give it to you straight with no chaser. The truth is finally told.
I loved the phrase coined by Ms.Orth, " The Celebrity-Industrial Complex. " Note that media news are now 24/7, talking heads proliferate on TV and the quickest way of getting your leg broken is to get between a camera and Gloria Allred.
This author is as fascinating as the books and articles she writes! Do make a point of seeing her if she comes to your city. She is smart, a critical thinker, and possesses a clear moral sense.
Although Ms.Orth has interviewed many celebrities who have done absurd and even reprehensible things, she never panders, and she tells her stories with a grounding sense of balance.
Photograph by Mark Schafer
Importance of Being Famous
by Maureen Orth
Orth's dramatic recollection of speaking to Margaret Thatcher just after she was deposed (not too strong of a word) from 10 Downing Street is a marvel. She also includes a lovely memoir of Dame Margot Fonteyn, who had grown weary of hotel rooms, and found unexpected pleasure in near-spartan living after a lifetime of luxury.
If you enjoy reading Vanity Fair you'll love this behind-the-stories look.
The Importance of Being Famous: Behind the Scenes of the Celebrity-Industrial Complex
Amazon Price: (as of 11/23/2009)![]()
This book is one of the most investigative and thorough books I've read about famous people in a long time.
LUKE RUSSERT - Honoring his father
Memorial Service In Wash.DC
Here's to Tim Russert and to the great legacy of love, and honor carried on by his son Luke. What a strong young man to have given this speech so soon after his father's passing. It must have been so difficult.
??????????????
Who filled Tim Russert's place at
"Meet the Press"
&
NBC News Washington Bureau
???????????????
My Guess
My Guess .... TOM BROKAW (And I was right .. at least temporarily he did.)Short Summary
It has been said of Tim:
How did Tim Russert go from painting lines on the streets of Buffalo to head of the NBC News Washington Bureau?
Tim advised:
"Work hard and take advantage of opportunities when offered to you."
Hats off to Tom Brocaw
He held the fort.
Meet The Press has always one of the first programs I turn to when I want to take the pulse on some current happenings. Will I continue to turn here now that neither Tim Russert nor Tom Brokow hold the reins and it looks like David Gregory is now the new man in the shute?Let us now sing the praises of Tom Brokaw celebrating the masterful job he has done not just of moderating Meet the Press, but also leading the network news division through a time of crisis since the unexpected death of Tim Russert in June.
When TV goes into overdrive the way it did in the wake of Russert's death, reporters and anchors often take on symbolic roles. And so it was with Brokaw, the retired NBC anchorman, assuming the role as head of mourning for the NBC News family.
Brokaw was the first on the air in the immediate aftermath of Russert's death, and he forged the template for virtually all that followed, describing his colleague as "the true child of blue-collar Buffalo - who was always in touch with that ethos. ... Tim loved his family, his faith, his country and politics."
Brokaw set the stage again at a moving memorial service, opening and closing the event, and often embracing other speakers as they returned from the podium. He gave the proceedings grace, stature and a heart.
And what a job he did as host of Meet the Press. In terms of ratings, Brokaw actually drew a larger audience than Russert in leading the show to a 28 percent margin of victory over its nearest Sunday morning competition, ABC's, 'This Week.' And Brokaw made news of his own on the show, with such interviews as that of former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Brokaw was expected to hand off the baton on Sunday's telecast, which featured an interview with President-elect Barack Obama that all but guarantees the interim host will leave on a high note. (According to AP, the succession is not yet set. While Gregory is negotiating with the network to take the helm of Meet the Press, a contract has not yet been signed.)
Even in this era of snarky media commentary, Brokaw's performance is one thing we should be able to celebrate without qualification. We can also give some praise to NBC management for having handled Brokaw's retirement in such a way that the network has a honored anchorman emeritus. And give some kudos to current anchorman Brian Williams for graciously deferring to the man who he replaced at the NBC News anchor desk.
Tom Brokaw has been a class act, and a winner.
A Long Way From Home
Growing Up in the American Heartland
Like him, I came from a small town that is often ridiculed by those from more urbanized areas
Like him, I was fortunate enough to be born to wonderful parents who instilled the right values.
Like him, I don't really want to move back to where I came from, but I am eternally grateful for it and love to visit,
Brokaw is a thoroughly appealing character in this book. That his ego was showing through in some places is true, but it's not the sort of display that irritates you--more like the sort where you shake your head and are more than a little charmed. He doesn't spare himself in his account.
I've always had a weakness for tales told by people who are out of the limelight, who aren't the immediate images called up when you think of a particular era, who weren't in what some would consider the "mainstream". Tom Brokaw's South Dakota upbringing is just as integral a part of America in the '40's and '50's as that of someone not living in "fly-over" territory. He brings it to life in an engaging way.
A Long Way from Home: Growing Up in the American Heartland in the Forties and Fifties
Amazon Price: $11.16 (as of 11/24/2009)![]()
I especially enjoyed his discussion of how his consciousness was raised as regards treatment of American Indians. Time and again, a somewhat cocky Brokaw is shown not to be as smart as he thinks. The response of an Indian woman to his self-assured statement that he knew a lot about Indians since he was from South Dakota .. I'll leave that for you to discover. It's a gem.
The Greatest Generation
The Greatest Generation Collection
Not a war book, but a Generation testamonial.
B O O M!
by Tom Brokaw
Brokaw has given us another 'looks-like-a-winner' in "Boom!".
Boom! One minute it was Ike and the man in the grey flannel suit, and the next minute it was time to "turn on, tune in, drop out." While Americans were walking on the moon, Americans were dying in Vietnam. Nothing was beyond question, and there were far fewer answers than before.
Race, war, politics, feminism, popular culture, and music are all explored here, and we learn from a wide range of people about their lives. Tom Brokaw explores how members of this generation have gone on to bring activism and a Sixties mindset into individual entrepreneurship today. We hear stories of how this formative decade has led to a recalibrated perspective-on business, the environment, politics, family, our national existence.
As a member of the 60s generation, I couldn't put this book down, especially as as I fully agreed with one point made by Brokaw- that the Sixties "blindsided" us with quick and startling changes.
The Boomers are an interesting group in many ways. They're powerful and rich and they still are self-involved. They are a very important part of the population, even as they age.
This book documents where the Boomers came from, where they went and where they are. Perhaps those readers who do not remember them as young, will learn why they're such an important generation and, moreover, why they act as they do today.
I suggest you pick up a copy of BOOM!, sit down and let this author take you back in time.
Boom!: Talking About the Sixties: What Happened, How It Shaped Today, Lessons for Tomorrow
Amazon Price: $12.24 (as of 11/23/2009)![]()
Remarkable in its insights, profoundly moving, wonderfully written and reported, this revealing portrait of a generation and of an era, and of the impact of the 1960s on our lives today.
Meet David Gregory
Meet The Press
For political junkies, it was like seeing white smoke at the Vatican: Everyone from the New York Times to the Huffington Post reported that NBC finally found a new journalist to replace Tim Russert as host of its venerated Sunday political show, Meet the Press - chief White House correspondent David Gregory.I think NBC has made a great choice with David Gregory. He has shown his versatility as a White House Correspondent, panelist on Meet the Press, fill in host on Today and host of the recent election coverage. MSNBC did a much better job than big brother NBC.
David Gregory's debut as moderator for NBC's "Meet the Press" gave the Sunday morning news show a ratings win Dec. 14 among total viewers and in several demographics, according to Nielsen Media Research.
NBC's win marks its 377th for the week out of the last 379 when everyone is at full coverage.
Congatulations David, looking forward to many more years of great programing with you at the helm.
Here is a suggestion for the new host of Meet The Press.
Loosen up and reveal yourself. A few things audiences learned about Gregory from his numerous stints guest-hosting the Today show: He's got a great sense of humor, taste for pop culture and even a few quality dance moves. Nobody's suggesting he turn Meet the Press into Solid Gold here's hoping Gregory will make the show relatable and compelling while maintaining its credibility and seriousness of purpose. Russert always found time to shout out to his beloved Buffalo Bills and dad Big Russ; surely Gregory can add a little of his own spice to Meet the Press' august political mix.
Predictions and unsolicited advice.

I predict that Gregory won't shake up the show right away. He'll both avoid impersonating Tim Russert, lest anyone make unfavorable comparisons, and lull the loyal 'Meet the Press' audience back into its comfort zone. After getting them there, he should begin remaking the show. First step:
Get rid of the Russert regulars
Who hasn't heard enough from James Carville and Mary Matalin by now? Hasn't plagiarist Doris Kearns Goodwin run out of gas? Doesn't William Safire phone it in? Can't NBC do the right thing and give Andrea Mitchell her own show? And why does the mere sight of David Broder, Bob Shrum, E.J. Dionne, or Peggy Noonan on television make me want to barf?
Recruiting a younger band of participants would mark the passing of an era and acknowledge the arrival of a young president. It's not even a very radical step. Russert was known to experiment with formula, adding Matt Drudge and Rush Limbaugh to the mix. So it's not too much to ask some new voices to suit up for play. The office politics of such a move will be tricky. Betsy Fischer, Russert's executive producer, is Gregory's executive producer. It would be a pity if she insisted on turning the show into a permanent memorial service for her old boss.
Invent a great gimmick
Russert had a dozen gimmicks. He had the flip-flop graphic. He had Buffalo. The Bills. His blue collar. The whiteboard. His dad. Gregory needs a similar signature, and I've got just the thing. Good politicians are evasion artists, able to field a difficult question without answering it and making it sound as though they did. When confronted with such maneuvers, Gregory could pursue his prey with three follow-up questions. If the politician didn't answer satisfactorily, Gregory could give his best grin and say, "Senator, that's three and you're out" and move on to the next question. If deployed artfully, "That's three and you're out" could become the most feared phrase in political reporting and just maybe it could get politicians to respond truthfully. After that:
Add a reported news story
Instead of relying on guests for news, a Sunday show could break the mold by filing a reported story that makes news or at least broadcast a reported segment that put into context the top story that everybody is about to discuss.
Finally:
Get out of the office and stay out of the office
As Washington bureau chief for NBC News, Russert could sponge up details and tips from his reporters and walk the political beat all week in preparation for his show. If he runs the show more like a reporter and less like a Washington institution ... he'll make 'Meet The Press' an even better show.
SAMPLE #1: NEWS NOW on Meet The Press
With David Gregory as Host
SAMPLE #2: NEWS NOW on Meet The Press
With David Gregory as Host
David AxelrodMeet The Press, Getty Images
In this television screen grab taken from NBC, David Axelrod, a senior adviser to President-elect Barack Obama, speaks on remote interview during a live taping of Meet the Press at NBC's studios December 28, 2008 in Washington, DC. David Axelrod, a senior adviser to President-elect Obama, Rich Lowry, editor of the National Review, Todd Purdum, national editor of Vanity Fair, Michelle Singletary, financial columnist at the Washington Post, and Richard Wolffe, senior White House correspondent for Newsweek, appeared on the program.
Axelrod: Obama to engage in diplomacy right away
David Axelrod, top aide to President-elect Barack Obama, says the new administration plans to act quickly and engage in diplomacy around the world.
Axelrod said Sunday that everyone is hopeful that the cease-fire in the Middle East lasts.
He said the events around the world demand that Obama act quickly, and the American people will see that as he takes office. Appearing on CNN's State of the Union, Axelrod did not provide details for what Obama plans to do about the Middle East.
Lately on Meet the Press
Meet The Press
9/05/09
Tribute Guestbook
If you would like to comment on this lens or on the death of Journalism Icon Tim Russert, please do.
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- LaraineRose LaraineRose Aug 17, 2009 @ 11:46 am
- Good idea, Sandra. Thanks for coming by and leaving 5. I just finished reading your Matt Dillon lens. Have to love that sheriff! [in reply to blue22d]
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- blue22d blue22d Aug 15, 2009 @ 11:10 pm
- Great lens on Tim. I can see another lens branching off, i.e TV Reporters? Five stars to ya.
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- LaraineRose LaraineRose Aug 12, 2009 @ 6:52 am
- Thanks for the 5*s and the Angel dust. It definitely does help! [in reply to LindaJM]
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- LindaJM LindaJM Aug 11, 2009 @ 12:38 pm
- Excellent tribute to the legendary Tim Russert! 5* and an Angel blessing... I hope it helps.
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- LaraineRose LaraineRose Aug 11, 2009 @ 5:38 am
- Thanks for dropping in. I really needed the visit! [in reply to paperfacets, mbgphoto and BevsPaper]
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