Tom Brokaw: It Was Time For A New Generation To Take Over



(image via msnbc)

Tom Brokaw was the first guest on Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski's inaugural radio show broadcast. The conversation began on the subject of Sunday's passing the torch to David Gregory. Brokaw's wife, Meredith, had some thoughts on Tom's exiting the talking heads mix. "Meredith said to me 'you are going to miss this,' and I said 'I know I am going to miss this.'"

The former NBC anchor continued: "I felt just as strongly as I did when I left the Nightly News (that) it was time for a new generation to take over."

Of the blog chatter about the successor to Tim Russert, Brokaw opined, "That's pretty much confined to what I call East of the Potomac"

And on President-elect Obama appearance, where he didn't directly answer the question of his smoking. "This is a speculation on my part, but Michelle will be all over (President-elect Obama on smoking)"

"I am an anti-smoke crusader, I have lost (many friends to smoking,) most notably Peter Jennings. Tom Brokaw also mentioned the late Joan Scarangello McNeive, a non-smoking news producer friend, who lost a battle to lung cancer. Brokaw hosted Joan’s Legacy Uniting Against Lung Cancer Benefit Gala on November 18. The news veteran told Joe and Mika that he has lost 8 friends to smoking. "It is just inexcusable in this society that we are still cursed with this habit," said Brokaw.

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