Clinotus
06-13-2008, 06:47 PM
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tim Russert, a leading U.S. political correspondent and host of the NBC television network's long-running "Meet the Press" talk show, died on Friday of a heart attack, the network said. He was 58.
NBC interrupted programming for a special report by former anchorman Tom Brokaw, who said Russert collapsed and died at work in NBC's Washington bureau after returning from a trip to Italy with his family.
A network statement said he died of a sudden heart attack while pre-recording a segment for this Sundays "Meet the Press" program.
Brokaw told viewers 2008 "was one of the most important years in Tim's life. ... He loved this political campaign. He worked to the point of exhaustion so many weeks."
U.S. President George W. Bush and the two main candidates in November's election to succeed him all praised Russert.
Russert, who took over "Meet the Press" in 1991 and oversaw a rise in the Sunday program's popularity, was known for both tough questioning of American political figures and a cheerful television persona.
Now in its 60th year, "Meet the Press" is the longest-running program in the history of television, NBC said. Russert took over in December 1991. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world this year.
He was a political analyst for "NBC Nightly News" and the "Today" program, and anchored "The Tim Russert Show," a weekly interview program on the CNBC cable-TV channel.
Full Article (http://www.reuters.com/article/PBLSHG/idUSN1338241920080613)
RIP Tim. There were not many journalists like him...head and shoulders above the talking heads so prevalent on the news today. So sad.
NBC interrupted programming for a special report by former anchorman Tom Brokaw, who said Russert collapsed and died at work in NBC's Washington bureau after returning from a trip to Italy with his family.
A network statement said he died of a sudden heart attack while pre-recording a segment for this Sundays "Meet the Press" program.
Brokaw told viewers 2008 "was one of the most important years in Tim's life. ... He loved this political campaign. He worked to the point of exhaustion so many weeks."
U.S. President George W. Bush and the two main candidates in November's election to succeed him all praised Russert.
Russert, who took over "Meet the Press" in 1991 and oversaw a rise in the Sunday program's popularity, was known for both tough questioning of American political figures and a cheerful television persona.
Now in its 60th year, "Meet the Press" is the longest-running program in the history of television, NBC said. Russert took over in December 1991. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world this year.
He was a political analyst for "NBC Nightly News" and the "Today" program, and anchored "The Tim Russert Show," a weekly interview program on the CNBC cable-TV channel.
Full Article (http://www.reuters.com/article/PBLSHG/idUSN1338241920080613)
RIP Tim. There were not many journalists like him...head and shoulders above the talking heads so prevalent on the news today. So sad.