David Brinkley: Difference between revisions

|name = David Brinkley

|image = David Brinkley 1962.JPG

|caption = Brinkley in 1962.

|birth_name = David McClure Brinkley

|birth_date = {{Birth date|mf=yes|1920|707|10}}

|birth_place = [[Wilmington, North Carolina]], U.S.

|death_date = {{Death date and age|2003|06|11|1920|07|10}}

|death_place = [[Houston]], [[Texas]], U.S.

|known_for other_names =

|occupation = [[News broadcasting#Television news|Television news]] [[newsNews presenter|anchor]]

|years_active = 1943–19971943–1997

'''David McClure Brinkley''' (July 10, 1920 – – June 11, 2003) was an American [[News presenter|newscaster]] for [[NBC News|NBC]] and [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] in a career lasting from 1943 to 1997.

From 1956 through 1970, he [[News presenter|co-anchored]] [[NBC]]'s top-rated nightly [[televisionNews broadcasting#Television news|news]] program, ''The [[Huntley-BrinkleyThe Report|Huntley–Brinkley Report]],'' with [[Chet Huntley]] and thereafter appeared as co-anchor or commentator on its successor, ''[[NBC Nightly News]],'' through the 1970s. In the 1980s and 1990s, Brinkley was host of the popular Sunday ''[[This Week (ABCU.S. TV seriesprogram)|This Week with David Brinkley]]'' program and a top commentator on election-night coverage for [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]. Over the course of his career, Brinkley received ten [[Emmy AwardsAward]]s, three George Foster [[Peabody AwardsAward]]s, and the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2003-06-12-brinkley-dies_x.htm|title=David Brinkley, Legendary NBC Newsman, Dies at 82|work=USA Today|agency=Associated Press|date=June 12, 2003|access-date=2017-08-26|archive-date=2004-07-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040713213133/http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2003-06-12-brinkley-dies_x.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

He wrote three books, including the 1988 bestseller ''Washington Goes to War'', about how [[World War II]] transformed the nation's capital. ThisHis socialbooks history waswere largely based on his own observations as a young reporter in the city.

Brinkley was born in [[Wilmington, North Carolina]], the youngest of five children born to William Graham Brinkley and Mary MacDonald (née West) Brinkley. He began writing for a local newspaper, the ''[[The Star-News|Wilmington Morning Star]]'', while still attending [[New Hanover High School]]. He attended the [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]], [[Emory University]], and [[Vanderbilt University]], before entering service in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] in 1940. Following a medical discharge, heBrinkley worked for [[United Press International]] in several of its Southern bureaus.<ref name="NYT Obituary">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/12/obituaries/12CND-BRINK.html?pagewanted=all | work=[[The New York Times]] | first=Richard | last=Severo | title=David Brinkley, Elder Statesman of TV News, Dies at 82 | date=June 12, 2003 |accessdate access-date=2016-11-01 | archive-date=2016-08-01 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160801194107/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/12/obituaries/12CND-BRINK.html?pagewanted=all | url-status=live }}</ref> In 1943, he moved to [[Washington, D.C.]], looking for a radio job at [[CBS]] News. Instead, Brinkley took a job at NBC News, became its [[White House]] correspondent, and in time began appearing on television.

In 1952, Brinkley began providing Washington reporting on NBC Television's evening news program, Thethe ''[[Camel News Caravan]]'' (the name changed over time), hosted by [[John Cameron Swayze]]. In 1956, NBC News executives considered various possibilities to anchor the network's coverage of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] and [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] political conventions, and when executive J. Davidson Taylor suggested pairing two reporters (he had in mind [[Bill Henry (Los Angeles Timesjournalist)|Bill Henry]] and Ray Scherer), producer [[Reuven Frank]], who favored Brinkley for the job, and NBC's director of news, [[Joseph Meyers (news director)|Joseph Meyers]], who favored [[Chet Huntley]], proposed combining Huntley and Brinkley. NBC's top brass consented, but they had so little confidence in the team that they withheld announcing it for two months.<ref>Frank, Reuven. ''Out of Thin Air: The Brief Wonderful Life of Network News.'' New York: Simon & Schuster, 1991, pp. 100&ndash;02100–102.</ref> Their concern proved unfounded.

The pairing worked so well that on October 29, 1956, the two took over NBC's flagship nightly newscast, with Huntley in New York City and Brinkley in Washington, D.C., for the newly christened ''Huntley–Brinkley Report''. Brinkley's dry wit offset the serious tone set by Huntley, and the program proved popular with audiences turned off by the incessantly serious tone of CBS's news broadcasts of that era. Brinkley's ability to write for the ear with simple, declarative sentences gained him a reputation as one of the medium's most talented writers, and his connections in Washington led CBS's Roger Mudd to observe, "Brinkley, of all the TV guys here, probably has the best sense of the city--&nbsp;— best understands its moods and mentality. He knows Washington and he knows the people."<ref name="NY-Accident">"An Accident of Casting," ''The New Yorker'', (1968-08-03)August 3, p. 411968.</ref> {{rp|41}} Most often described as "wry,", Brinkley once suggested on the air that the best way to resolve the controversy over whether to change the name of Boulder Dam to "[[Hoover Dam]]" was to have former president [[Herbert Hoover]] change his name to "Herbert Boulder".

Another example of Brinkley's seething wryness was evinced on the third night of Chicago's infamous Democratic Convention of 1968. After continuous abuses of NBC correspondents made on the floor of the convention&ndashnbsp;— namely, interference and shadowing of the media staff by supporters of [[Hubert Humphrey]], presumably with connections to political boss [[Richard J. Daley]] &ndashnbsp;— Brinkley criticized Daley's alleged interference with freedom of the press following Senator [[Abraham A. Ribicoff|Abraham Ribicoff]]'s stormy nomination of [[George McGovern]]. Perhaps in reply to a control room request for objectivity and alluding to Daley's refusal to be interviewed by NBC's [[John Chancellor]] earlier in the evening, Brinkley was heard over the noise of the McGovern demonstration saying, "Mayor Daley had his chance!" (''i.e.'', "now give the McGovern people theirs").<ref>http://www.museum.tv/exhibitionssection.php?page=466 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120927022819/http://www.museum.tv/exhibitionssection.php?page=466 |date=2012-09-27 }} part seven</ref>

{{external media | width = 210px | alignfloat = right | headerimage= | video1 = [https://www.c-span.org/video/?68215-1/memoir ''Booknotes'' interview with Brinkley on ''A Memoir'', December 10, 1995], [[C-SPAN]]}}

Huntley and Brinkley's nightly sign-off--&nbsp;— "Good night, Chet," Brinkley would intone; "Good night, David," Huntley would reply--&nbsp;— entered popular usage and was followed by the beginning of the second movement of Beethoven's 9th Symphony as the program credits rolled. ''The Huntley–Brinkley Report'' was America's most popular television newscast until it was overtaken, at the end of the 1960s, by the ''[[CBS Evening News]]'', anchored by Walter Cronkite. Brinkley and his co-anchor gained such celebrity that Brinkley was forced to cut short his reporting on Hubert Humphrey in the 1960 West Virginia primary because West Virginians were more interested in meeting Brinkley than the candidate.<ref> name="An NY-Accident of Casting", ''The New Yorker'' (1968-08-03), p. 34.</ref> {{rp|34}} From 1961 to 1963, Brinkley anchored a prime time news magazine, ''David Brinkley's Journal''. Produced by Ted Yates, the program won a George Foster [[Peabody Award]] and two [[Emmy Award]]s.<ref>Thomas A. Mascaro, [http://www.tvquarterly.com/tvq_38_3_4/media/articles/03_they_beat_the_clock.pdf "They Beat the Clock—NBC's Innovative Newsmagazine, ''David Brinkley's Journal'' (1961–1963)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411190513/http://www.tvquarterly.com/tvq_38_3_4/media/articles/03_they_beat_the_clock.pdf |date=2016-04-11 }}, ''Television Quarterly''.</ref>

Days before heBrinkley announced his retirement from regular news coverage, Brinkley made a rare, on-air mistake during evening coverage of the [[1996 United States presidential election, 1996|1996 presidential election]] at a moment when he thought he was on commercial break. One of his colleagues asked him what he thought of the prospects for [[Bill Clinton]]'s re-election. He called Clinton "a bore" and added, "The next four years will be filled with pretty words and pretty music and a lot of goddamn nonsense!" One of hisPeter teamJennings pointed out that they were still on the air. Brinkley said, "Really?! Well, I'm leaving anyway!". Brinkley offeredwould offer Clinton an apology during a one-on-one interview a week or so later.

Brinkley's last broadcast as host of ''This Week'' was November 10, 1996, but he continued to provide short pieces of commentary for the show until September 28, 1997.<ref>{{Cite He then fully retired news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/26/us/david-brinkley-retiring-from television-broadcasting.html|title=David Brinkley HeRetiring hadFrom beenBroadcasting|date=1997-09-26|work=The anNew electronicYork journalist for over fifty years and had been anchor or host of a daily or weekly national television program for just over forty yearsTimes|access-date=2019-10-02|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=2019-10-02|archive-url=https://web. His career extended archive.org/web/20191002222505/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/26/us/david-brinkley-retiring-from-broadcasting.html|url-status=live}}</ref> theHe endthen offully theretired radiofrom age to the age of the internettelevision.

In addition to his ten [[Emmy Award|Emmys]] and three [[Peabody Award|Peabodys]], Brinkley also received the [[Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award|Alfred I. duPont Award]] in 1958.<ref>[http://www.journalism.columbia.edu/page/412-past-dupont-award-winners/594 All duPont–Columbia Award Winners] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120814182043/http://www.journalism.columbia.edu/page/412-past-dupont-award-winners/594 |date=August 14, 2012 }}, [[Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism|Columbia Journalism School]]. Retrieved 2013-08-06.</ref> In 1982, he received the [[Paul White (journalist)|Paul White]] Award for lifetime achievement from the [[Radio Television Digital News Association]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rtdna.org/content/paul_white_award#.U4FBHS8-Ngc |title=Paul White Award |publisher=[[Radio Television Digital News Association]] |accessdateaccess-date=2014-05-27 |archive-date=2013-02-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130225052416/http://rtdna.org/content/paul_white_award#.U4FBHS8-Ngc |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1988, he was inducted into the [[Television Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emmys.com/awards/hall-of-fame-honorees|title=Television Hall of Fame Honorees: Complete List|access-date=2014-03-08|archive-date=2016-05-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160501211810/http://www.emmys.com/awards/hall-of-fame-honorees|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1992, President [[George H. W. Bush]] awarded him the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]], the nation's highest civilian honor. Bush called him "the elder statesman of broadcast journalism" but Brinkley was much more humble. In an interview in 1992, he said, "Most of my life, I've simply been a reporter covering things and writing and talking about it."

Brinkley died in 2003 at his home in [[Houston]] from complications of a fall suffered at his vacation home in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, according to his son, John Brinkley.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chron.com/entertainment/article/Veteran-newscaster-David-Brinkley-dies-2105488.php|title=Veteran newscaster David Brinkley dies|work=Houston Chronicle|date=12 June 2003|access-date=14 June 2017|archive-date=10 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170710185845/http://www.chron.com/entertainment/article/Veteran-newscaster-David-Brinkley-dies-2105488.php|url-status=live}}</ref> His body is interred at [[Oakdale Cemetery (Wilmington, North Carolina)|Oakdale Cemetery]], Wilmington, North Carolina.

*1956–1970 NBC News/''[[The Huntley-BrinkleyHuntley–Brinkley Report]]''

*1961–1963 ''David Brinkley's Journal,'' produced by [[Ted Yates]], aired on Wednesday nights 10:30–11:00 p.m. EST

*1981–1996 ''[[This Week (ABCU.S. TV seriesprogram)|This Week]] with David Brinkley''

*1981–19981981–1997 ''[[ABC World News Tonight]]'' (commentator)

*1991 ''Pearl Harbor: Two Hours That Changed The World with David Brinkley'' (50th anniversary)<ref>{{cite webYouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?vid=uC65MC7N63Y&t=1073s|title=ABC NEWS: Pearl Harbor: Two Hours That Changed The World (David Brinkley)|first=|last=Castle Danger|date=8 November 2014|publisher=|via=YouTube}}</ref>

*[http://digitaljournalist.org/issue0512/assign/rs_brinkley0512.htm Working with Brinkley] by Ron Steiman (1960&ndash;19611960–1961)

*[http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-us0100af David Brinkley collection at the Wisconsin Historical Society &ndashnbsp;— Over 150,000 documents covering Brinkley's career]

* {{emmytvlegendsThe Interviews name|david-brinkley}}

*{{C-SPAN|David Brinkley637}}

{{succession box| before=[[John Cameron Swayze]]<br />'''(as ''[[Camel News Caravan]]'')'''|title=[[NBC evening news anchors]] (as'' [[The Huntley-Brinkley Report]]'')|years=October 29, 1956&nbsp;&ndash;– July 31, 1970<br />(with [[Chet Huntley]])|after=[[John Chancellor]], [[Frank McGee (journalism)|Frank McGee]], and David Brinkley}}

{{succession box| before=[[Chet Huntley]] and David Brinkley<br />'''(as ''[[The Huntley-Brinkley Report]]'')'''|title=[[NBC evening news anchors]] (as the [[NBC Nightly News]])|years=August 1, 1970&nbsp;&ndash;– August 8, 1971<br />(with [[John Chancellor]] and [[Frank McGee (journalism)|Frank McGee]])<br></small>| after=[[John Chancellor]]}}

{{succession box|before=[[John Chancellor]]| title=[[NBC evening news anchors]] (as the [[NBC Nightly News]])|years=June 7, 1976&nbsp;&ndash;– October 4, 1979<br />(with [[John Chancellor]])|after=[[John Chancellor]]}}

{{succession boxs-ttl|before=None| title=[[This Week (ABC TV series)|This Week]] anchor|years=November 15, 1981&nbsp;&ndash;– DecemberNovember 810, 1996|after=[[Sam Donaldson]] and [[Cokie Roberts]]}}

[[Category:EmoryUnited UniversityStates alumniArmy personnel of World War II]]