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Short List: Decision on new moderator for Meet the Press expected soon
NBC Photo
Tom Brokaw has been serving as the interim moderator of Meet the Press.
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Published: November 30, 2008
NEW YORK
NBC executives are closing in on a decision about who will take over Meet the Press, the network's venerable Sunday-morning political talk show, with the announcement coming possibly Dec. 7.
According to network sources, that might be Tom Brokaw's last day as interim moderator, a post he assumed after the sudden death of longtime host Tim Russert in June.
People close to the process said they did not know who would be named to the job, arguably Washington's most powerful journalistic perch. The deliberations have been closely guarded by Jeff Zucker, NBC Universal's chief executive, and NBC News President Steve Capus, who have not made a decision, spokeswoman Allison Gollust said.
Barring a last-minute surprise, network insiders and television-news observers expect that the new moderator -- or moderators -- will be drawn from a short list of candidates that include David Gregory, NBC's chief White House correspondent; PBS anchor Gwen Ifill; Andrea Mitchell, NBC's chief foreign-affairs correspondent; and Chuck Todd, NBC's political director. Dark horses include CBS anchor Katie Couric, whose name was floated in internal discussions, according to two sources, but is apparently not interested.
Veteran ABC anchor Ted Koppel also has been mentioned as a contender. But Koppel, who announced Tuesday that he is leaving his post at Discovery Channel, said he had not spoken with NBC and had little interest in getting into "a weekly grind again."
Network executives have been wrestling with not only who would be best to lead the 61-year-old show for a coming generation but also what format the program should take.
In an interview, Ifill said she had informal conversations about the job with NBC officials several weeks ago, but no offer has been made.
"I had the impression that they didn't know what they wanted the show to be yet," she said. "I think they were trying to figure out how I would fit. But I don't know if they've figured it out yet. If they have, they haven't told me."
At stake is not just the program's legacy but also its dominance over the Sunday-morning competition. After Brokaw took over, as viewers' interest in the election peaked, Meet the Press increased its lead over ABC's This Week and CBS' Face the Nation, according to Nielsen Media Research. Since the end of June, Meet the Press has averaged more than 4 million viewers, up 27 percent from the same period last year, while ABC has drawn just under 3 million viewers, up 22 percent, and CBS has attracted 2.8 million, up 19 percent.
NBC executives hope that the next iteration of Meet the Press maintains momentum.
In its early days, Meet the Press had a moderator and a regular panelist who occasionally filled in for the host. Later, the show came to be defined by a singular moderator -- most recently Russert, who ran the show for 17 years until he had a heart attack.
Instead of simply naming a successor, executives are considering the possibility of multiple hosts, including a trio of panelists.
That could help deal with any shortcoming in gravitas seen in Gregory or Todd, each of whom is still in his 30s. According to a network source, it appears unlikely that Todd, in particular, would be named a solo anchor, despite the high regard for him, because he has not had substantial television experience. But in some ways, the relative youth of both men is an asset.
"I think they want a franchise that has some potential for longevity, and that's where Chuck and Gregory are good choices," another newsroom employee said.
Ifill's presence also would help signal a new era at Meet the Press. Currently the moderator of Washington Week on PBS, Ifill would be the first black moderator of Meet the Press, a milestone that would coincide with the inauguration of the country's first black president.
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