Brian Williams

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For other people named Brian Williams, see Brian Williams (disambiguation).

Brian Williams
Williams at the 2011 Time 100 gala
Born
Brian Douglas Williams

(1959-05-05) May 5, 1959 (age 65)
Elmira, New York, U.S.
Other namesBriwi
EducationGeorge Washington University
The Catholic University of America
Occupation(s)News Anchor and Managing Editor of NBC Nightly News
Years active1981–present
Notable credit(s)NBC News reporter
(1993–2004)
NBC Nightly News weekend anchor (1993–1999)
NBC Nightly News anchor (2004–present)
Spouse
Jane Gillan Stoddard Williams
​
​
(m. 1986)​
[1]
ChildrenAllison Williams
Douglas Williams
WebsiteProfile on NBC News

Brian Douglas Williams (born May 5, 1959) is an American journalist who is the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News, the evening news program of the NBC television network, a position he assumed on December 2, 2004.[1]

Early life

Born in Elmira, New York, Williams was reared in a well-to-do Irish Catholic home.[3] He is the son of Dorothy May (née Pampel) and Gordon Lewis Williams, who was an executive vice president of the National Retail Merchants Association, in New York.[4][5] He is the youngest of four siblings.[6] He lived in Elmira for ten years before moving to Middletown, New Jersey, when he was in junior high school.[7]

He graduated from Mater Dei High School, a Roman Catholic high school in the New Monmouth section of Middletown.[8] While in high school, he was a volunteer firefighter for three years at the Middletown Township Fire Department. His first job was as a busboy at Perkins Pancake House.[9]

After high school Williams attended Brookdale Community College, after which he transferred to The Catholic University of America, and then The George Washington University.[10] He did not graduate, and instead interned with the administration of President Jimmy Carter. He now calls leaving college one of his "great regrets".[11] Williams completed a total of 18 college credits.[12]

Early broadcast career

Williams first worked in broadcasting in 1981 at KOAM-TV in Pittsburg, Kansas. The following year he covered news in the Washington, D.C. area at TV station WTTG, then worked in Philadelphia for WCAU, then a CBS affiliate.[13] Beginning in 1987 he broadcast in New York City at WCBS. Williams joined NBC News in 1993, where he anchored the national Weekend Nightly News and was chief White House correspondent before serving as anchor and managing editor of The News With Brian Williams, broadcast on MSNBC and CNBC.[14]

Nightly News

Williams became anchor of NBC Nightly News on December 2, 2004, and his first year in that post was marked by coverage of two disasters: the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. His work helped earn NBC a Peabody Award,[15] the Peabody committee concluding that Williams and the Nightly News staff "exemplified the highest levels of journalistic excellence in reporting on Hurricane Katrina."[16] He also earned the George Polk Award for the extensive coverage of the hurricane.[17]

Nightly News fell behind ABC's World News in the first half of 2007. Nightly News regained the lead later that year.[18]

When Williams succeeded Tom Brokaw as anchor of NBC Nightly News, his annual salary was reported to be $8 million and by October 2006, it had reportedly increased to $10 million.[2][19]

Recanting of Iraq story

In February 2015 Williams recanted a story he had told about being aboard a helicopter hit by RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) fire and forced to land on March 24, 2003, during the U.S. invasion of Iraq.[20] His initial and subsequent reportings of the incident indicated that a helicopter in front of his was hit by the RPG. However, in a 2013 interview[21] and during the NBC Nightly News broadcast on January 30, 2015 Williams inaccurately recounted the incident, stating that it was the helicopter he was on that was "hit and crippled by enemy fire".[22] His story was soon criticized by Lance Reynolds, a flight engineer who was on board one of the three helicopters that had been attacked.[23] Reynolds and other crew members said they were forced to make an emergency landing, and that it was a half hour to an hour later that Williams' Chinook helicopter arrived on the scene.[20][24] Williams investigated the damage and interviewed crew members about the attack.[25]

On the February 4 broadcast of Nightly News, Williams apologized, stating that he “made a mistake in recalling the events of 12 years ago,” and extended his respect and apology to the "brave men and women in the air crews who were also in the desert.”[25] Some military veterans and commentators challenged Williams' assertion that he had made an innocent mistake.[23] Reynolds commented, "It felt like a personal experience that someone else wanted to participate in and didn’t deserve to participate in."[20] Aaron Brown, a former anchor for CNN, said that many television professionals who had worked in international warzones questioned how such an incident could be misremembered. "I have no answer for that," he said. "I will tell you that getting shot at is not something you forget."[23]

Hurricane Katrina controversy

Williams' comments made in an interview with former Disney CEO Michael Eisner in 2006 concerning Hurricane Katrina have received critical scrutiny.[26][27] Williams said he was in a five star hotel in the French Quarter, which an NBC source states was the Ritz-Carlton,[28] and looked out his window and saw a dead body floating by face down.[28][29][27] Williams also said the hotel "was overrun with gangs,"[29][27] and said that he accidentally ingested flood water and got dysentery.[29][27] New Orleans health officials state that the French Quarter received little flooding.[29][27] The Ritz faces Canal Street and Alex Brandon, an Associated Press photographer working in New Orleans during Katrina, said, according to an AP report, that "there was enough water to launch a flat-bottomed boat from in front of the Ritz. He said he photographed a dead body floating on Canal Street a few blocks from the Ritz."[28]

A 2005 study of the Katrina disaster by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that there were documented reports of “clusters of diarrheal disease" among those in evacuation centers, but no cases of dysentery.[30] Dysentery has symptoms that can be confused with other forms of gastrointestinal illnesses such as diarrhea.[30] Shortly after the storm a Ritz-Carlton guest was interviewed who said that doctors at a makeshift clinic had treated what they believed was dysentery.[31][30]

Rock Center with Brian Williams

Main article: Rock Center with Brian Williams

On Tuesday, October 4, 2011, it was announced that Williams would be the host of Rock Center with Brian Williams, a newsmagazine program premiering on Monday, October 31, 2011, at 10:00 pm Eastern, replacing the cancelled drama series The Playboy Club.[32] Named after the nickname of Rockefeller Center, the New York City landmark where NBC Radio City Studios are located, the program would become the first new NBC News program to launch in primetime in nearly two decades.[33]

NBC cancelled Rock Center on May 10, 2013, after low ratings and having trouble finding a permanent time slot for the program. The last show aired on June 21, 2013.[34] Williams reportedly felt "insulted" by the program's cancellation.[35]

Other programs

Williams frequently appears on The Daily Show as a celebrity guest interviewed by Jon Stewart. He appeared on the Weekend Update segment of Saturday Night Live on the season 32 premiere hosted by Dane Cook before hosting a season 33 episode on November 3, 2007, the last episode to air before the show went on a three-month hiatus due to the 2007-08 Writers' Guild strike. With this episode, Williams is now the first and (so far) only network news anchor to host SNL.[36]

On February 22, 2010, while providing coverage of the Winter Olympics, Williams did a skit with Brian Williams, the Canadian sportscaster of CTV's on the CTV Olympic set.[37][38] Some in the media dubbed this the new "Battle of the Brians," as NBC's Williams compared his own modest set to CTV's expensive Olympic studio.[39]

Williams regularly appears on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, where he slow jams the news of the previous week as Fallon sings and reiterates what Williams says, with The Roots providing the musical backing. A mash-up video created by Fallon, where he appears to rap to hip-hop instrumentals, became viral within a few hours.[40] He has also made numerous appearances on Late Show with David Letterman despite its being on CBS, a competing network. During an appearance on July 26, 2011, Williams demonstrated a skilled vocal impersonation of TV personality Regis Philbin. Williams has also appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien where he took part in numerous skits and interviews.

... And then I pull off my mask, and I'm a lizard person, too. Blackout. End of episode.

— Williams on 30 Rock, proposing a new NBC show to Jack Donaghy[41]

Williams also frequently made guest appearances on NBC's television comedy 30 Rock as a caricatured version of himself. In the episode "The Ones", he's seen at home receiving proposition calls meant for Tracy Jordan. In "Audition Day", he auditions to be a new TGS cast member. He also is seen once on the show taunting Tina Fey's character Liz Lemon. In April 2012, on the West Coast installment of the 30 Rock season 6 live show, Williams portrayed a news anchor covering the Apollo 13 story.

Williams appeared on Sesame Street in a 2007 episode, announcing the word of the day, squid, in a special broadcast. Williams appeared on Sesame Street again in a 2008 episode reporting for Sesame Street Nightly News about the Mine-itis outbreak where he becomes a victim of it. He also was the host of the 2009 Annual Sesame Workshop Benefit Gala.

In May 2012, Williams spoke at the George Washington University commencement on the National Mall.

He was the commencement speaker for Elon University's graduating class of 2013 of which his son Douglas was a member.

Personal life

Williams married his wife, Jane Gillan Williams (née Stoddard) at the First Presbyterian Church of New Canaan, Connecticut on June 7, 1986.[42] He currently lives in New Canaan, Connecticut with his wife.[43] His daughter Allison is an actress who currently stars in HBO's Girls. He received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Bates College in 2005.[44]

Williams is an avid fan of NASCAR at both the local and national levels. He was first exposed to auto racing as a child attending races on dirt tracks all over upstate New York. In 1999, Williams was the studio host of the first NASCAR race ever shown on NBC, the Pennzoil 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Two years later, at NASCAR's awards banquet in New York City, he introduced a videotaped tribute to Dale Earnhardt, who had died at the Daytona 500 some months earlier. Earnhardt and Williams had become close friends. A 2012 promo for Rock Center with Brian Williams features a baseball motif, with the journalists' jerseys. Williams' jersey, similar to Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost, in honor of his Earnhardt friendship, carried #3.

Williams is a fan of the New York Giants NFL franchise. This became noticeable during the Giants 2011 Super Bowl run during which Williams was noted for not only openly discussing his fandom, but also wearing a New York Giants jersey underneath his sports jacket and over his white dress shirt and gray tie, similar to a sweater.[45]

Williams is also a fan of the New York Rangers NHL franchise. Similar to showing his support for the Giants, Williams was seen at Madison Square Garden during the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs sporting a fleece pullover, with the Rangers insignia on it.[46]

Television

Year Title Role First episode Notes
2009-12 30 Rock Himself The Ones As Himself
2013 Family Guy Himself "Space Cadet" voice only
2013 The Soup Himself Himself As Himself

Career timeline

  • 1981: KOAM-TV
  • 1982–86: WTTG-TV correspondent
  • 1985: Panorama Host
  • 1985–87: WCAU-TV New Jersey correspondent
  • 1987–93: WCBS-TV Anchor of weekday noon and weekend night newscasts; reporter

References

  1. ^ a b "Brian Williams". msnbc.com. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  2. ^ a b Movie & TV News, IMDb.com - Studio Briefing - October 23, 2006.
  3. ^ Albiniak, Page (November 1, 2009). "Questions for Brian Williams". New York Post. Retrieved October 7, 2010. I come from a loud Irish-Catholic family.
  4. ^ "Brian Williams Weds Jane Stoddard, TV Producer". The New York Times. June 8, 1986.
  5. ^ "Address by Brian Williams - Commencement 2015 - Bates College". bates.edu. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  6. ^ Mullen, Shannon (January 10, 2005). "Television: Brian Williams is living his dream as "Nightly News" anchor". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  7. ^ Strauss, Robert. "IN PERSON; The Life Of Brian, Annotated", The New York Times, October 27, 2002. Retrieved June 13, 2011: "Mr. Williams grew up in Mom-apple-pie-and-TV-trays style in Middletown, Monmouth County, a town of true middle class.... Mr. Williams, who was in junior high when the family moved there from Elmira, N.Y., was an average student who had his eyes on fast cars, fun summer jobs and hanging out at the local fire station, where he became a volunteer firefighter."
  8. ^ "Brian Williams". NOPAC Talent. Retrieved October 14, 2007. Graduated from Mater Dei, a Roman Catholic High School in New Monmouth, NJ.
  9. ^ The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Friday, May 22, 2009.
  10. ^ Strauss, Robert (October 27, 2002). "IN PERSON; The Life Of Brian, Annotated". The New York Times. Retrieved October 14, 2007. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ "Remarks by Brian Williams. Tulane University Commencement". May 19, 2007.
  12. ^ Interview: Last Call with Carson Daly, NBC, May 20, 2011
  13. ^ "Brian Williams - New Jersey Monthly - Best of NJ". njmonthly.com. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  14. ^ "Brian Williams". msnbc.com. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  15. ^ Brian Stelter, "A Year Later: TVNewsers On Katrina", mediabistro.com, August 31, 2006.
  16. ^ Peabody Awards, Coverage of Hurricane Katrina 2005, Organization: NBC News.
  17. ^ Kurtz, Howard. Reality Show: Inside the Last Great Television News War. New York: Free Press, 2007. Print.
  18. ^ "Evening News Ratings: Williams Tops Gibson In November Sweeps", The New York Times, December 4, 2007.
  19. ^ "Biography for Brian Williams (III)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved December 11, 2007.
  20. ^ a b c Tritten, Travis J. (February 4, 2015). "NBC's Brian Williams recants Iraq story after soldiers protest". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  21. ^ Sacks, Ethan (February 5, 2015). "Brian Williams tells his debunked Iraq War story during 2013 interview with David Letterman (Video)". New York Daily News. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  22. ^ Ravi Somaiya (February 4, 2015). "Brian Williams Admits He Wasn't on Copter Shot Down in Iraq". The New York Times. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  23. ^ a b c Johnathan Mahler, Ravi Somaiya, Emily Steel (February 5, 2015). "With an Apology, Brian Williams Digs Himself Deeper in Copter Tale". The New York Times. Retrieved February 6, 2015. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  24. ^ Tritten, Travis J. (February 5, 2015). "Brian Williams' apology draws mixed reviews from mission vets". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  25. ^ a b Barajas, Joshua (February 4, 2015). "NBC's Brian Williams Apologizes for False Iraq War Story". PBS Newshour. Public Broadcasting Service. Retrieved February 5, 2015. Cite error: The named reference "PBS" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  26. ^ Simerman, John (February 6, 2015). "NBC News anchor Brian Williams' comments about dead bodies, Hurricane Katrina starting to gain attention, draw scrutiny". The New Orleans Advocate. New Orleans. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  27. ^ a b c d e Calamur, Krishnadev (February 6, 2015). "More Questions Emerge About Brian Williams' Comments". National Public Radio. Washington, D.C. Retrieved February 6, 2015. Williams had said he saw a body float by in the French Quarter, a part of the city that had remained largely dry during the 2005 storm that devastated the city.
  28. ^ a b c Bauder, David (February 6, 2015). "NBC launches internal probe on Brian Williams claims". Associated Press. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  29. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference NOAdv1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  30. ^ a b c McCarthy, Tom (February 6, 2015). "Brian Williams' reports on Katrina called into question by New Orleans residents". The Guardian (UK). Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  31. ^ Simerman, John (February 6, 2015). "Katrina photos show water did surround Ritz-Carlton, where Brian Williams stayed". The New Orleans Advocate. New Orleans. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  32. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (October 4, 2011). "NBC Cancels 'The Playboy Club'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  33. ^ "NBC cancels 'Playboy Club,' schedules 'Rock Center'". HitFix. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  34. ^ Bauder, David (May 10, 2013). "NBC cancels Williams' newsmagazine 'Rock Center'". Associated Press. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
  35. ^ Stelter, Brian (June 21, 2013). "Disappointing Fall for 'Rock Center,' a News Program With Big Ambitions". The New York Times.
  36. ^ "Brian Williams Hosts Saturday Night Live Tonight". WOAI. November 3, 2007. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
  37. ^ "Williams skit lights up dull morning show". The Toronto Sun. torontosun.com. February 22, 2010.
  38. ^ *Upload of "The Summit: Brian Williams and Brian Williams" video on YouTube
  39. ^ Vlessing, Etan (February 22, 2010). "Olympics has new Battle of the Brians". Hollywood Reporter.
  40. ^ Maresca, Rachael. "Brian Williams raps to 'Rapper's Delight' on Jimmy Fallon's 'Tonight Show'". www.nydailynews.com. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
  41. ^ Hubbard, Matt (writer); Riggi, John (director) (February 3, 2011). "¡Qué Sorpresa!". 30 Rock. Season 5. NBC.
  42. ^ "Brian Williams Weds Jane Stoddard, TV Producer". New York Times. June 8, 1986. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
  43. ^ "Brian Williams Biography-TV Guide".
  44. ^ Bates Magazine-Degrees of Separation, received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree
  45. ^ "Top Ten Celebrity New York Giants fans".
  46. ^ Dan Steinberg (May 7, 2013). "Tom Hanks and Brian Williams watch Caps-Rangers". The Washington Post.

Further reading

External links

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