Editing Tom Brokaw (section)

=== 1982–2004: ''NBC Nightly News'' ===
[[File:Nancy Reagan in an Interview with Tom Brokaw at the 1984 Republican National Convention in Dallas Texas.jpg|thumb|Brokaw with [[Nancy Reagan]] at the [[1984 Republican National Convention|Republican National Convention]] in August 1984]]
On April 5, 1982, Brokaw began co-anchoring ''NBC Nightly News'' from New York with [[Roger Mudd]] in Washington, succeeding [[John Chancellor]]. After a year, NBC News president [[Reuven Frank]] concluded that the dual-anchor program was not working and selected Brokaw to be sole anchor.<ref>Frank, Reuven. ''Out of Thin Air: The Brief Wonderful Life of Network News'' (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1991), pp. 383–84.</ref> The ''NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw'' commenced on September 5, 1983. Among other news items, he covered the [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster|Challenger disaster]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Zak |first1=Dan |title=Thirty years ago, a TV critic watched the Challenger explosion. This is what he saw. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/01/28/thirty-years-ago-a-tv-critic-watched-the-challenger-explosion-this-is-what-he-saw/ |website=washingtonpost.com |publisher=WP Company, LLC |access-date=August 31, 2019}}</ref> [[People Power Revolution|EDSA Revolution]], the [[June Struggle]], [[1989 Loma Prieta earthquake|Loma Prieta earthquake]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bhattacharjee |first1=Riya |title="It Sounded Like A Bomb Went Off" — The 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake in Pictures |url=https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/From-San-Francisco-to-Salinas-The-1989-Loma-Prieta-Earthquake-in-Pictures-279509102.html |website=nbcbayarea.com |date=October 17, 2014 |publisher=NBC Universal Media, LLC |access-date=August 31, 2019}}</ref> fall of the [[Berlin Wall]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wheatley |first1=Bill |title=How NBC got its '89 Berlin Wall Scoop |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna33590933 |website=[[NBC News]] |date=November 5, 2009 |publisher=NBC Universal |access-date=August 31, 2019}}</ref> and [[Hurricane Andrew]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Acclaimed Journalist Tom Brokaw Reports his Own "Big Ideas" at UT Lecture |url=https://news.utk.edu/2013/11/13/acclaimed-journalist-tom-brokaw-reports-big-ideas-ut-lecture/ |website=news.utk.edu |date=November 13, 2013 |access-date=August 31, 2019}}</ref>

[[File:BrokawLomaPrietaNakataA.jpg|thumb|right|Brokaw preparing for a live broadcast in the aftermath of the [[1989 Loma Prieta earthquake]]]]
Brokaw scored a major coup when, on November 9, 1989, he was the first English-language broadcast journalist to report the [[Fall of the Berlin Wall]]. Brokaw attended a televised press conference organized in [[East Berlin]] by [[Günter Schabowski]], press spokesman for [[East Germany|East German]] [[Politburo]], which had just decided to allow its citizens to apply to permanently leave the country through its border with [[West Germany]]. When Schabowski was asked when this loosening of regulations would take effect, he glanced through his notes, then said, "''sofort, unverzüglich''" ("immediately, without delay"), touching off a stampede of East Berliners to the [[Bornholmer Straße border crossing|Wall]]. Brokaw had an interview with Schabowski after the press conference, who repeated his "immediately" statement when pressed. Later that evening Brokaw reported from the west side of [[Brandenburg Gate]] on this announcement and the pandemonium that had broken out in East Berlin because of it.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/watch/nbcnews-com/brokaw-reports-from-the-berlin-wall-337455683615|work=NBC NEWS|date=November 9, 1989|title=Brokaw reports from the Berlin Wall|access-date=June 18, 2019}}</ref>

As anchor, Brokaw conducted the first one-on-one American television interviews with Soviet leader [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] and [[President of Russia|Russian President]] [[Vladimir Putin]]. He and [[Katie Couric]] hosted a prime-time [[newsmagazine]], ''[[Now with Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric|Now]]'', that aired from 1993 to 1994 before being folded into the multi-night ''[[Dateline NBC]]'' program.<ref>{{cite web |title=Now with Tom Brokaw & Katie Couric |url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/now-with-tom-brokaw-katie-couric/episodes/203488/ |website=tvguide.com |publisher=CBS Interactive Inc. |access-date=August 31, 2019}}</ref>

Also, in 1993, on the first broadcast of ''[[Late Show with David Letterman]]'' on [[CBS]], in response to [[David Letterman]]'s monologue containing jokes about [[NBC]], Brokaw walked on stage in a surprise cameo (accompanied by [[Paul Shaffer]] and the CBS Orchestra playing the ''NBC Nightly News'' theme).<ref name="youtube.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLSG5xOaqOY| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/DLSG5xOaqOY| archive-date=November 17, 2021 |url-status=live|title=Late Show with David Letterman First Episode (8/30/93)|via=[[YouTube]]|last=Valisno|first=Patrick Josh|date=January 1, 2015|access-date=August 21, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He congratulated Letterman on his new show and wished him well, but also stated he was disappointed and shocked; he subsequently walked over to the man holding the [[cue cards]], took two, and remarked, "These last two jokes are the [[intellectual property]] of NBC!", leaving the stage afterwards.<ref name="youtube.com"/> Letterman then remarked, "Who would have thought you would ever hear the words 'intellectual property' and 'NBC' in the same sentence?"<ref name="youtube.com"/>

In 1996 Brokaw made the following statement about [[Richard Jewell|Richard Jewell's]] suspected involvement in the [[Centennial Olympic Park bombing|1996 Olympic Park bombing]], after which Jewell sued NBC News:

{{blockquote|The speculation is that the FBI is close to making the case. They probably have enough to arrest [Jewell] right now, probably enough to prosecute him, but you always want to have enough to convict him as well. There are still some holes in this case.}}

Even though NBC stood by its story, the network agreed to pay Jewell $500,000.

[[File:Vladimir Putin with Tom Brokaw-1.jpg|thumb|right|Brokaw with [[Vladimir Putin]] before an interview on June 2, 2000]]
On [[September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001]], Brokaw joined [[Katie Couric]] and [[Matt Lauer]] around 9:30&nbsp;a.m., following the live attack on the South Tower of the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]], and continued to anchor all day, until after midnight. Following the collapse of the second tower, Brokaw observed: "This is war. This is a declaration and an execution of an attack on the United States."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/tv/20010912owentv4p4.asp|title=Tuned In: This was reality TV at its most horrific|work=Post-gazette.com|date=September 12, 2001|access-date=November 4, 2008|first=Rob|last=Owen}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n16ArLMUwAE| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/n16ArLMUwAE| archive-date=November 17, 2021 |url-status=live|title=9/11/01 NBC World Trade Center Part 12|via=[[YouTube]]|author=emscrazy001|date=November 21, 2007|access-date=August 21, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He continued to anchor coverage to midnight on the following two days. Later that month, a letter containing [[anthrax]] was addressed to him as part of the [[2001 anthrax attacks]]. Brokaw was not harmed, but two NBC News employees were infected. In 2008, he testified before the [[Commission on Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism]] about the anthrax attacks, publicly discussing his experiences for the first time in a detailed, day-by-day account.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?281113-3/biological-threat-assessment|title=Biological Threat Assessment|work=[[C-SPAN]]|access-date=August 21, 2017}}</ref><ref>[[Howard Kurtz]] (October 18, 2001), [https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2001/10/18/tom-brokaw-putting-a-familiar-face-on-the-anthrax-story/d3b2c39b-74b3-4e66-8357-291a3f55f4c5/ "Tom Brokaw, Putting A Familiar Face on the Anthrax Story"], ''The Washington Post:'' "Brokaw, who has taken antibiotics along with his staff, closed his broadcast Monday by declaring, 'In [[Cipro]] we trust.' "</ref>

In 2002, NBC announced that Brokaw would retire as anchor of the ''NBC Nightly News'' following the [[U.S. presidential election, 2004|2004 Presidential election]], to be succeeded by [[Brian Williams]]. Brokaw would remain with [[NBC News]] in a part-time capacity from that point onwards, serving as an analyst and anchoring and producing documentary programs. Brokaw closed his final ''Nightly News'' broadcast in front of 15.7 million viewers on NBC on December 1, 2004, by saying:

{{blockquote|Well the time is here. We've been through a lot together through dark days and nights and seasons of hope and joy. Whatever the story, I had only one objective, to get it right. When I failed, it was personally painful, and there was no greater urgency than course correction. On those occasions, I was grateful for your forbearance and always mindful that your patience and attention didn't come with a lifetime warranty.

I was not alone here, of course. I am simply the most conspicuous part of a large, thoroughly dedicated and professional staff that extends from just beyond these cameras, across the country, and around the world. In too many instances, in places of grave danger and personal hardship and they're family to me.

What have I learned here? More than we have time to recount this evening, but the enduring lessons through the decades are these: it's not the questions that get us in trouble, it's the answers. And just as important, no one person has all the answers.

Just ask a member of the generation that I came to know well, the men and women who came of age in the Great Depression who had great personal sacrifice, saved the world during World War II and returned home to dedicate their lives to improving the nation they had already served so nobly. They weren't perfect, no generation is, but this one left a large and vital legacy of common effort to find common ground here and abroad in which to solve our most vexing problems. They did not give up their personal beliefs and greatest passions, but they never stopped learning from each other and most of all, they did not give up on the idea that we're all in this together, we still are.

And it is in that spirit that I say, thanks, for all that I have learned from you. That's been my richest reward.

That's ''Nightly News'' for this Wednesday night. I'm Tom Brokaw. You'll see Brian Williams here tomorrow night, and I'll see you along the way.}}

By the end of his time as ''Nightly News'' anchor, Brokaw was regarded as the most popular news personality in the United States. ''Nightly News'' had moved into first place in the [[Nielsen ratings]] in late 1996<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1997/03/12/STYLE6031.dtl&type=printable|title=CBS tops Nielsens 2nd week in row|work=[[SF Gate]]|date=March 12, 1997}}</ref> and held on to the spot for the remainder of Brokaw's tenure on the program, placing him ahead of [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s [[Peter Jennings]] and ''[[World News with Charles Gibson|World News Tonight]]'', and [[CBS]]'s [[Dan Rather]] and the ''[[CBS News|CBS Evening News]]''. Along with Jennings and Rather, Brokaw helped usher in the era of the TV [[news anchor]] as a lavishly compensated, globe-trotting star in the 1980s. The magnitude of a news event could be measured by whether Brokaw and his counterparts on the other two networks showed up on the scene. Brokaw's retirement in December 2004, followed by Rather's ousting from the ''[[CBS Evening News]]'' in March 2005, and Jennings's death in August 2005, brought that era to a close.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Donaldson-Evans |first1=Catherine |title=Jennings' Death Forces New Look at 'Big 3' |url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/jennings-death-forces-new-look-at-big-3 |website=[[Fox News]] |date=March 25, 2015 |publisher=Fox News Network, LLC |access-date=August 31, 2019}}</ref>