On his June 22 broadcast, Tom Brokaw told viewers of his NBC Nightly News to have “a wonderful summer,” signing off and leaving the news in the hands of Brian Williams until after Labor Day. Generally, the popular anchorman takes four weeks during the summer, but this year asked for more time off. NBC president Andrew Lack approved the 10-week break, NBC spokeswoman Alex Constantinople told The Associated Press.
So, this leaves some speculating whether Brokaw is planning to leave his post he’s had since September 1983. Brokaw, whose contract expires next year, hasn’t said whether he has decided to stay at NBC beyond that. He has recently become a best-selling author with his books The Greatest Generation and has talked about working on more books and television projects.
Nightly News received its lowest ratings in 10 years the first week Brokaw was away, according to Nielsen Media Research. But Brokaw may not care too much. He is spending time at his ranch in Montana and recently donated $250,000 toward a new hiking and biking trail in South Dakota.
