by uifoundation-Flicker Brokaw addresses fellow Presidents Club members during the 2008 Presidents Club Assembly lunch image:41127:0::0

NBC had to make an immediate decision about who would replace the late Tim Russert as moderator of the NBC show "Meet The Press" , after Russert suddenly died on June 13, 2008.

Brian Williams, who is the anchor of “NBC Nightly News,” stepped in and moderated last Sunday, but the NBC needed a permanent replacement, at least until the November elections were over and done with.

They chose Tom Brokaw who had been the anchor of “NBC Nightly News” for 22 years before stepping down four years ago and becoming a special correspondent for NBC News.

Brokaw made a statement for the announcement of his new gig, where he said, "I’ve been appearing on ‘Meet the Press’ since the days of Watergate when it was moderated by Lawrence E. Spivak right through the distinguished tenure of my great friend, Tim Russert, so I feel right at home. Tim made ‘Meet the Press’ the center of the universe for informative and lively discussions of public affairs, particularly the exciting 2008 campaign for president, and I intend to continue that commitment to our viewers.”

Brokaw also hosted an hour long tribute to Tim Russert last Sunday.

[Update] From The Politico- It was Brokaw that announced Russert's death in a special interruption to network programming the day that Tim Russert died.