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The Daily Nightly began on May 31, 2005. As Brian wrote in his first post it aims to provide a narrative of the broadcast day and a window into the editorial process at NBC Nightly News. Brian weighs in every weekday and NBC News correspondents and producers post regularly.

Brian Williams became the seventh anchor and managing editor in the history of NBC Nightly News on December 2, 2004. Read his full biography.



THE REGULARS

Posted: Tuesday, August 14, 2007 5:28 PM by Petra Cahill
Filed Under:

by Brian Williams, Anchor and Managing Editor

One of the great things about coming back from time off is hearing from our peeps -- the regulars to this blog, many of whom write us every day. It was great to hear from all of you.
Chris Colvin has done a marvelous job laying out the day, so I'm gonna slack off. I'm exhausted after spending 20 minutes with Stephen Colbert today -- as you may know, he's on his "Sign my Cast" tour after breaking his wrist. Not to give away his surprise, but my signature took its place today alongside Katie Couric, Tim Russert, Nancy Pelosi and others. His cast will be auctioned off to benefit military families at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, so who could resist that cause? I showed him the medallion I carry with me every day from the First Cavalry in Iraq -- my talisman to keep the troops with me in some small way. I've done benefits with Stephen before, and while he's as talented as he is charming in person, the exhausting part was coming up with all of his material for him. Our segment together went much better than his recent, as yet unaired conversation with Richard Branson, and not quite as well as his interview with Jane Fonda. The interview took place just yards from SNL headquarters, where Stephen was one of the writers of the infamous "death of President Ford" spoof years ago -- a story Stephen re-told to all those assembled.

I'm sad about Phil Rizzuto. If you grew up in this area, you remember hearing "I'm Phil Rizzuto for the Money Store..." to say nothing of his storied career with the Yanks. He was a nice man, a class act and a helluva ballplayer whose stats don't begin to tell the story.

Fox just ran videotape of a children's playground that spontaneously combusted due to heat. Apparently it was the bed of woodchips on the ground, coupled with the construction materials and the heat. I'm no designer, but spontaneous combustion does NOT seem like a good feature for a playground. They also went live to a truck on fire in Secaucus, New Jersey.

We have a great piece tonight having to do with the ongoing outrage in this country that is commercial aviation: the fact that point-to-point air travel in the United States is no longer dependable. Also tonight, we'll cover the massive toy recall, the search for the miners, bridge safety and the state of the New Orleans schools.

Getting back into the swing of things. We hope you can join us for our Tuesday night broadcast.

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Comments

Good Evening Mr.Williams, First of all I feel very much appreciated that you like hearing from your regular readers. Especially when you said this after you had been on vacation. I really appreciate all the extremely hard work you do in putting the broadcast together. And all the great correspondents that cover all the reports from all over the country and world. (Of course I have my favorite). I am sorry about Steven Colbert breaking his wrist, but that is a very nice thing to auction off the cast to benefit the military families at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Impressive group of people who signed the cast. And I agree with you about the spontaneous combustion on the playground not a good feature. Anyway,looking forward to the broadcast Mr.Williams. Peace to all!

Lisa McNeil,Alpharetta,Georgia (Sent Tuesday, August 14, 2007 6:08 PM)

Hi Brian -
Welcome back from one of the 'peeps'.  

And, thanks for recognizing the importance of Phil Rizzuto to many of your viewers.

For me, he was one of the voices of my childhood -  on the radio underneath my pillow talking Yankee baseball night after night.  I got a lot of the love of the game from my Dad and from Phil. I shed some tears today for those memories.

Condolences to the Rizzuto family and to the great family of American baseball who loved Phil.  God Bless.

Joan Chapman, Cheshire, CT (Sent Tuesday, August 14, 2007 7:04 PM)

To Brian Williams -- 1st time I've ever written.  I have been a loyal watcher of NBC  all my life- 54 years old now.  Watched in Cleveland in the days of Mike Douglas.  
Saw your story on the Bridge Doctor and wanted you to know that since there is alot of interest in the infrastructure right now and things that have improved our world, my 82 year old father dedicated his lifetime career to the manufacturing,inventing and improving of traffic signals and traffic management. Under the category of traffic management, he  invented the "by-the-roadside-changeable message sign" that is run by a generator and will be most certainly used to help manage the traffic of future bridges under repair.  What would our country be like without this invention?  That would be a most interesting series--about people who have invented things that make a difference to our infrastructure.  Not a sexy issue?  It is now!!

Constance Hart Tisdale (Sent Tuesday, August 14, 2007 7:14 PM)

Good Evening Mr.Williams, The massive recall by Mattel of all those toys is just astonishing. I was surprised to hear that the subcontractors were not using the paint supplied by the vender, but instead using other paint. Such a huge list of toys and parents scrambling to look at all the toys that their children play with each day. I hope there a no children who become ill because of these toys. Regarding Ian Williams report there seems to be many problems with safety issues. On the subject of Tom Aspell's report and the suicide bombings which killed about 175 people. It is just horrible because innocent people are being hurt or killed. It was so very sad to hear of more US soldiers being killed. I certainly hope peace can come to that region soon. It is a long, tough road and too many people have suffered. Finally, I must say that down here in Georgia it has been too hot and I am ready for the fall temperatures to come. Enough with the excessive heat. Anyway, thank you for the broadcast Mr.Williams. Peace to all!

Lisa McNeil,Alpharetta,Georgia (Sent Tuesday, August 14, 2007 7:21 PM)

Nothing on the 200+ point stock decline...  Strange.

Glen Behrend (Sent Tuesday, August 14, 2007 7:26 PM)

LOVED Brian's comment tonight about "bad hair days" in space!

Anne Kenney, Springfield, OH (Sent Tuesday, August 14, 2007 7:30 PM)

I am envious of the people who can afford to bid on the cast.

The next time you have the opportunity to get together with so many of your peers maybe you could get autographs and send them out, by drawing no money involved, to readers of the blog?

Dewey Quong, Reno, NV (Sent Tuesday, August 14, 2007 7:51 PM)

We appreciate the "Regular" too. It's nice to have you back at anchor Brian. Ann does a great job, she's just not you. God bless you all.

Teresa Bright, Church Hill, TN (Sent Tuesday, August 14, 2007 8:23 PM)

As a new auntie (2 down & 1 still in production) I am paying more attention to toys than I have since I was begging for them for my toy box.  As I think of all the recalls this past year and that they all come from China, I wonder if we are simply reaping all the "business" dollars U.S. corporations tried to save by outsourcing millions of American jobs.  Why should I sacrifice the brand new lives of my nieces simply so a company can save a buck?  

Aw, how nice of you to call us peeps, Brian.  I turn to NBC more and more these days for my national news since my other choices have been disappointing me.  The continued integrity seen across all areas of NBC news coverage is to be admired in this age of instant news.  I also have another thank you to say to you, personally: you call it a "broadcast", and not a "show".  That in itself tells me the level of pride and professionalism of your entire team.  Now if only the rest of your colleagues in other mediums would feel that way....

Stephanie Umbro, Maine (Sent Tuesday, August 14, 2007 8:33 PM)

Brian,
You have many qualities and characteristics, among them honesty, trustworthiness, integrity, etc. for which you are admired but I dare say the amount of yourself that you give for charity and important causes truly puts you in a class by yourself.  (and no I'm not sucking up, what would be the point?)
I'm sure a broken wrist is not at all fun, but kudos to Stephen Colbert for turning this into a charitable event.  Perhaps he should dare all of the Presidential candidates to come sign the cast --- no interview required.  

On a different topic, I'm distressed about the space shuttle situation.  I freely admit that I'm not a rocket scientist --- and I dare say some of those at NASA who claim to be really aren't --- but IF a spacewalk could be utilized to repair the tear, isn't this pretty much a no brainer than a let's wait and see what happens on re-entry?  Were I one of the astronauts on board, I would not have a warm fuzzy feeling about NASA's take on this.  It is most easy to be calm when it is not your butt stranded in space.

Amanda - Ridgewood, NJ (Sent Tuesday, August 14, 2007 8:37 PM)

I agree with Anne:  The "Bad Hair" in space comment made me chuckle.  I definitely, don't feel as bad now when it happens to me!

Jolene, St. Joseph, MI (Sent Tuesday, August 14, 2007 9:24 PM)

Brian I have bad hair days on earth. Now to the stock market. I remember 7 years ago when the stocks were doing great. People had savings accounts and could put a little in stocks. Then came the election of 2000 and that was the end of that. Things will change with a new President it always does. I noticed that the Saudis and India are doing well with their economy and Dubai is over the top. Smart move on their leaders part by dealing with the Bush Administration it paid off well.  I wonder if Americans know how much the of the United States was sold to foreign countries.  I suggest that the new President bring back Greenspan to correct the problem.  The new President better get qualified people in the top job and not give their friends the job.

China has some serious problems now. The US companies left the US for cheap labor overseas and this is the results.  I really don't see many labels that say made in the US any more. But the economy shows it. It save businesses alot of money going overseas and the share holders got big returns.  Now we see the results of quick money without quality.  
Brian Chris is doing a great job with the review posting of all the websites. He covers everything. He makes it so easy now to review every site with his information.

Jackie Rawlings Riverside California (Sent Wednesday, August 15, 2007 12:29 AM)

"Bad hair days" in space!  I loved Brian's comment on that too!

Jun Nishihara, Japan (Sent Wednesday, August 15, 2007 1:04 AM)

Welcome back, Brian !!!  I hope you had a lovely vacation.  Ann did a lovely job filling in for you.  My dad mentioned two or three times that he thought that Ann has a lovely voice.  I have to agree.

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the Medal of Honor recipient's stories, and will be sad when the last story is posted.  I would love it if there were other series of this sort posted.  It has been nice to have a story each day to read (and it has been a great honor to read the stories of these great war heroes).

The unbearable heat made for a wonderful experiment today.  Early this Tuesday morning, when it was predicted that the temps here would be around 104 to 106 degrees, I grabbed my cast iron skillet and took it outdoors, where I laid it on top of the trunk of my car (with a piece of parchment paper underneath to protect my car, of course).  I left the skillet there all day.  Then, around 5:00 this evening, I took a pat of butter, two eggs, some shredded cheddar cheese, and a spatula out to the skillet.  The eggs scrambled nicely and were very fluffy -- it looked delicious once I had sprinkled the cheddar on top.  Not being one for anything resembling "camping" (nothing Griswold-inspired for me, even though I love the Griswolds dearly), I just couldn't bring myself to eat my experiment ... but Smartie Pants enjoyed the eggs very much, wagging her tail as she lapped them up while we watched the Nightly News.  I have a feeling that Smartie Pants will expect more of the same tomorrow evening ... she loves to be spoiled!  And, Smartie Pants loves to watch you, Brian, during the Nightly News.  She sits in front of the television whenever she hears your voice (that would include Monday night, as well.  I had been listening to NightLine and left the room after to do a few chores.  There was a rerun of a late-night talk show where you were the guest -- I can't remember which show at the moment -- when I returned to turn off the television, there sat Smartie, right in front of the television, watching you.  She looked a bit confused because of the late hour.  Apparently you aren't supposed to be on so late ....

Cyrena, Vicksburg, Mississippi (Sent Wednesday, August 15, 2007 1:34 AM)

Thank you, Mr. Williams, for your newscasts.  I especially like the "Make a difference" sections.  I would like to suggest that you learn to pronounce "Bei-Jing correctly.  The "Jing" is pronounced just like Jing in Jingle Bells - no Zhing sound.  Thank you for this!!  Sincerely, Ellenita Zimmerman, East Lansing, MI

Ellenita Zimmerman, East Lansing, Michigan (Sent Wednesday, August 15, 2007 10:44 AM)

Congratulations on a great piece about Autistic children.  The "What Works" segment is a refreshing contrast to the regular news which is so often sad.

Dorothy Bollmeier (Sent Wednesday, August 15, 2007 11:01 AM)

Hi Brian -

Another 'peep' checking in.

Here in Cheshire, it is almost a month since the 'Cheshire Tragedy' occured and changed all our lives. Cheshire is so small that we are all in the midst of this and everyone has connections to the family.  We are just hoping that the questionable justice system will work this time and there will be a proper resolution of this case.  However, no one here will ever forget that rainy Monday morning of July 23, 2007 when our world changed at home.

Thanks also for the thoughtful words about Phil Rizzuto - the voice of our childhood from the transistor radio under the pillow - who taught us all about baseball, and in doing so, set a great example for all who love sports.



Joan Chapman, Cheshire, CT (Sent Wednesday, August 15, 2007 11:05 AM)

Kudos to Martin Savidge's piece on the state of  New Orleans' schools. I hope the incentives they're offering to teach there draw a lot of applicants--were I qualified to teach, I'd be tempted to look for a position as a teacher there myself.

Olivia (Sent Wednesday, August 15, 2007 11:51 AM)

Being that I formerly worked @ Logan Airport in Boston ( Before 9/11. );  the continuing pathetic state of our commercial aviation system doesn't surprise me in the least.  I was one of the 1st people certified on EDS ( CAT Scanning. ) equipment in Boston & I used to see the "games" they played on passengers.  They would deliberately LIE to passengers, about why they were being "flagged" for 'profile' screening ( w/ their 'oversight', the FAA - saying nothing about it. ).  They would tell them that they were being 'randomly' picked by a computer.  CAPPS wasn't in use for almost 2 years in Boston;  from the time 'manual' profiling was instituted, soon after the 97' Gore Commission report was released.  They wouldn't even tell us screeners ( & certainly, not their passengers directly. ) when the FAA would issue security alert memo's, or increase our alert status;  not wanting to disrupt passenger traffic &/or risk flying w/ empty seats.

Mike Moran; Rochester, NH (Sent Wednesday, August 15, 2007 1:34 PM)

Something for your political desk to look into:  A number of congressmen appear to be choosing this time of year to announce their resignations - currently mentioned names include Hastert and Pryce.  The angle is that Election '08 may be just as much about Congress as the Presidency, with Democrats primed to gain a stranglehold the Republicans once had.

Keep up the good work.

Nicholas Eckert, Toledo, OH (Sent Wednesday, August 15, 2007 2:50 PM)

"hearing from our peeps" - mr. williams that was nice.

control yourself stock market (Sent Wednesday, August 15, 2007 3:51 PM)

Brian,
We missed you last week, but as always your sub, in this case Ann, did an excellent job.  We enjoyed her last week as she is super.

scm, walls, ms (Sent Wednesday, August 15, 2007 5:05 PM)

You and NBC are utterly shameless. You Global Warming denier piece was pathetic. If so many scientists are all convinced why cannot a single one point to an actual fact. 19 million for deniers? How bout 50 billion paid out to your consensus of believers all bought and paid for and the solid proof is a computer model. NASA had to shuffle to the shadows when there big report showed the hottest temps BEFORE WWII.
There is a website http://ultimateglobalwarmingchallenge.com/
offering 100k to ANYONE who can actually prove man's causation of warming and none of your "scientists" have come forward to collect. I guess like you, there are to busy spending the billions in hush money they have already received. Open a dictionary and look up the word OBJECTIVITY, or is that another lesson you breezed thru in journalism class. I done with you and your Pravda news.

Armand (Sent Thursday, August 16, 2007 9:58 AM)

Good evening Mr. Williams. I am a regular viewer of both the Nightly News on NBC and the Daily Show/Colbert hour over on Comedy Central. First, I would like to thank you for all the cameos you’ve done in recent months. The giant-head bit is hilarious and demonstrates tremendous humility on your part. These appearances have no doubt earned you a great deal of capital with my generation. Why then, I wonder, didn't you wear the "Wrist Strong" bracelet Colbert gave you? You said you would, and it’s for charity. I'm a huge fan (of yours), and this doesn't change that, but I think you owe Mr. Colbert - and the viewers - an explanation. You’ve put a rather negative spin on the whole giant-head thing - risking that precious capital in the process.  My generation is nothing if not fickle. Since Colbert first called you on not wearing the bracelet last night, I'd say you have about a 48-hour window of opportunity to make amends before any such attempt on your part would seem trite. Either way, thank you again for everything, and keep up the good work over there at 30 Rock.

JR, Chicago, IL (Sent Tuesday, August 21, 2007 8:23 PM)

I owe you an apology sir and I offer it here: I'm sorry Brian. Now that I've seen all the tape, I retract my previous criticism. You were two steps ahead of me, as usual. :)

JR, Chicago, IL (Sent Tuesday, September 11, 2007 1:26 AM)

Dear Mr. Brain William:
My mother who is 81 years old and I watch your nightly news every evening, we enjoy all of the nbc news shows, we feel you get too much negative viewer emails, this is one to thank you for your excellent work.  Please continue to report the news and wear your ties and please smile from time to time ok.  You are part of our family's tv viewing and we need more reporters like you.  I sent you a funny xmas card and hope your assistant lets you know that there are more people who enjoy the nbc nightly program than the ones that are just negative about life in general. Merry Christmas to all your staff and lots of health.
Lavinia Nieves
ps enjoy the elfcard:

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1427792047

Lavinia Nieves, Lowell, Massachusetts (Sent Saturday, December 15, 2007 12:54 PM)



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