NBC's Brian Williams a Dittohead?

NewsMax ^ | Dec. 2, 2004 | Carl Limbacher

[WinOne4TheGipper]

NBC's "Nightly News" may be changing in more ways than one when Brian Williams takes over Tom Brokaw's old anchor chair tonight.

While Brokaw was an inveterate liberal who regarded the new media with deep suspicion, Williams is a regular talk radio listener who considers Rush Limbaugh a media icon.

"Rush Limbaugh has a place in American history he has not yet received his due for," Williams told ABC Radio network host Sean Hannity on Wednesday.

"There were millions of Americans who were out in the wilderness and had no one who shared their voice," the NBC'er said. "And he came along and gave birth to a whole bunch of things."

Williams called Limbaugh "a leader in the business" and said he regards it as "my job to listen to Rush."

His comments may not go down too well with NBC morning diva Katie Couric, who's reportedly no fan of Limbaugh.

Describing a somewhat hostile encounter between himself and Couric some years back, Limbaugh told his audience on Tuesday, "There's still some tension there."

[SeeRushToldU_So]

I doubt I will break my habit of not watching network news no matter who is anchor on what channel.

I know everything I need to know before 6:30 PM, thanks to radio and FR.

[Mister Baredog]

I'm sure a substantial amount of the Leftist media listens to Rush, and he knows this.

That's true but Williams is "out of the closet" willing to say so on the public airwaves, that makes him a little unique as far as I know.

I heard him yesterday he had some very nice things to say about Rush, the day before he starts his new job.

Risky eh, he can count on the MSM panning him for sure now, LOL.

Bet the NY Times is having a cow!

[Judith Anne]

I agree.

[PhiKapMom]

During the Iraq War, Brian Williams did an excellent job in reporting from that part of the world with an Army Retired General. I thought they were fair in their reporting and totally pro-military.

[SeeRushToldU_So]

I am on EST and I didn't watch him and probably will never make an effort to do so.

I don't even know what channel NBC is on for my cable provider.

[Judith Anne]

I watch Fox, don't have the alphanets on my DirecTV.

[Guillermo]

That is true...

Part of it (admiring Rush on Hannity) probably has to do with the fact he wants to increase his audience.

If he can get 5-10% of Rush listeners, who don't even bother to watch the idiot network "news," that would substantially increase NBC's lead over the other moron nets.

[BigSkyFreeper]

In the end: He launches praise and accolades for all the hard work Brokaw did in the 20+ years at the national anchor desk he now sits behind, hard work that puts him at the top at the beginning of his tenure and he said he will work hard and make sure the news department that worked under Tom works as hard as they have for the past 20+ years to keep NBC News on top. He even said that he felt humbled to sit in for Tom during Tom's many absences for vacations or on-assignment reports. Of course, he said Tom isn't going anywhere, and we as viewers shouldn't either(I have to admit, I laughed at that of course).

[BigSkyFreeper]

I've got DISH Network, and have 3 opportunities to watch the alphabet soup networks, but I've only watched NBC Nightly News. The only time I watched Dan Rather was when he made a statement about the forged documents. The same statement he made a half-assed apology for. I've never watched Jennings.

[Howlin]

Hey, I did, too! I still wish it were on at 8 my time!

[benice]

I heard another radio talk show host say today that Williams was more liberal than Brokjaw.

[Deetes]

Williams is a dem .

[rodguy911]

You know you are right, I haven't watched the letter nets in years. I bounce back and forth from FNC to CNN, believe it or not. I have a rather high regard for Lou Dobbs and his campaign to secure the border. He is unrelentless about it. But other than a few minutes with him and maybe Wolfie on Sunday CNN "is" the Clinton News Network or the Commie News Network. It is "orrible".

[LibertarianInExile]

BUMP to that. They are making the anchor job much smaller a role, and Williams wants to cement his show as the one to watch so as to promote himself.

F MSM news. I'll watch Fox until something better comes along, and stick with the net for my real news.

[chiller]

Brian W and NBC jumped on the UN with a special report tonight, but not about Oil for Food. I had high hopes that BW could lead Old Media on this story.

[Recovering_Democrat]

He can sing the praises of Rush, that is fine. I like Rush, too.

I want his newscasts to be fair and balanced. Such a newscast would go a long way in getting me to watch broadcast network news again. Right now, it is kaput in Recovering_Democrat's household.

[buzzsaw6]

Do you mean to say that what Rush states accidentally is by far more intelligent than what Couric says on-purpose?

[FlyVet]

I watched NBC News tonight. It was no different than any other night for NBCCBSABCCNN etc. Half the show was dedicated to Iraq and the upcoming elections, and it was nothing but doom and gloom. Not one good thing to say, as usual. "We want Bush to fail, we need Bush to fail" is the message. So, whatever Brian Williams says he is, or appears to be, to Rush or Sean or anyone else, he was a good leftist media soldier tonight.

[doug from upland]

If I heard it right yesterday, I think he was commenting on a story about Gingrich and Kennedy. Gingrich was referred to as a right winger, but Kennedy was not called a left winger. He thought that was wrong. Maybe he knows the changes that the show needs so that other than lefties will watch. We shall see. I'd love him to take about half of Ra^ther's audience.

[saminfl]

They're the ones who get Rush's comments completely out of context or flat out wrong.

You can find a few freepers just like that.