Appreciation: Tim Russert, 1950-2008

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A very sad Friday the 13th...

Appreciation: Tim Russert, 1950-2008
Friday, Jun. 13, 2008 - Tim Russert, NBC News' Washington bureau chief and the tremendously influential host of Meet the Press, died suddenly Friday afternoon. He died at age 58 of an apparent heart attack; he died in Washington, D.C.; and he died — unsurprisingly to anyone familiar with him — at work.

It only adds to the sadness of Russert's death that he passes away in the middle of a suspenseful presidential election, and one that again affirmed his standing as possibly America's most influential political journalist. On May 6, the night of the Indiana and North Carolina primaries, Russert declared on MSNBC, "We now know who the Democratic nominee's going to be." The pronouncement rocketed through the mediasphere and the campaigns themselves. As the New York Times reported shortly afterward, "The thought echoed throughout the world of instant political analysis, blocking the Clinton campaign's efforts to portray her slim victory in Indiana as an upset, as well as her camp's hopeful analysis that she still had a chance to convert superdelegates with triumphs in the races ahead."

The pronouncement was an example of Russert's absolute authority in the Washington media; it was also — to be fair, as Russert himself would point out — an example of some critics' concern that media figures were appointing themselves referees, calling the election before voters had. But the pronouncement turned out to be right — which one suspects is the judgment that Russert would care most about.

Of course, whether Russert died in the midst of an election year or not, the political and news worlds would have felt his loss. As host of Meet the Press, Russert established himself as the consummate Washington insider, but he drew much of his knowledge and authority from his roots outside the Beltway. He was born in 1950 in Buffalo, N.Y., and his Rust Belt, Catholic roots constantly and conspicuously informed his work. He wrote memorably about his Buffalo upbringing and his father's influence on him in his memoir Big Russ and Me. As one of his NBC colleagues, Lisa Myers, once said of him, "Buffalo is a critical secret to understanding him," and he himself cited his Jesuit education as critically formative.

More Appreciation: Tim Russert, 1950-2008 - TIME

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Russert Remembered as 'Premier Journalist' and 'Family Man'
June 13, 2008 - Tim Russert, long-time host of NBC's "Meet the Press," was remembered fondly by both fellow newsmen and politicians after he died of an apparent heart attack on Friday.

The 58-year-old journalist and Washington bureau chief for NBC News was recording voiceovers for Sunday's broadcast when he collapsed, the network said. He had recently returned from Italy, where his family celebrated the graduation of his son, Luke, from Boston College. While announcing Russert's passing after 3 p.m. on the MSNBC cable TV channel, former "Nightly News" host Tom Brokaw called the newsman a "beloved colleague" and "one of the premier journalists of our time" who had been covering a political campaign that "he loved."

President Bush and his wife were attending a dinner with French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the Elysee Palace in Paris when they learned of Russert's death. "Laura and I are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Tim Russert," Bush said in a statement. "Those of us who knew and worked with Tim, his many friends and the millions of Americans who loyally followed his career on the air will all miss him."

The president added that the "tough and hardworking newsman" -- who took over "Meet the Press" in 1991 -- was "the longest-serving host of the longest-running program in the history of television" and "an institution in both news and politics for more than two decades." "He was always well informed and thorough in his interviews, and he was as gregarious off the set as he was prepared on it," Bush added. "Most important, Tim was a proud son and father." Other tributes from people across the political spectrum praised the quality of Russert's professional and personal lives.

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Coroner's report...

Tim Russert: His Sudden Death Explained
Saturday June 14, 2008 - TV news star Tim Russert's abrupt collapse at the NBC News studio in Washington, D.C., Friday came as a shock – even to his doctor.

In a statement detailing autopsy results, Dr. Michael Newman said his famous patient had passed a stress test on April 29 and had even worked out on a treadmill the morning of his death.

"Russert, age 58, was known to have asymptomatic coronary artery disease (atherosclerosis), which resulted in hardening of his coronary arteries," Newman said. "The autopsy revealed an enlarged heart and significant atherosclerosis of the left anterior descending coronary artery with (a) fresh clot which caused a heart attack resulting in a fatal ventricular arrhythmia."

Russert's stress test on April 29 was "normal," Newman said. "At a high level of exercise he had no symptoms," Newman said, adding that his blood pressure and cholesterol were "well-controlled."

The newsman collapsed while preparing for his show Meet the Press Friday afternoon. Resuscitation attempts began immediately and after the Washington, D.C., paramedics arrived on the scene a full code was initiated, he said. He was taken to Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., where resuscitation efforts continued to no avail. Studies show that survival is only 4 to 5 percent with sudden cardiac arrest, even with immediate medical attention like Russert had, Newman noted.

His Final Morning

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A warning to Baby Boomers?

What Happened to Russert
Jun 14, 2008 | The science of sudden cardiac arrest.

Journalists and politicians across the country were in shock Friday afternoon at news that Tim Russert, the prominent and beloved NBC correspondent, had collapsed and died suddenly of a heart attack in the network's Washington office. Russert had previously been been diagnosed with several risk factors for a sudden heart attack, including coronary artery disease and diabetes. But his death is still a sad reminder that cardiac arrest can strike anyone without warning—and that when it does, it is often fatal.

Sudden cardiac arrest accounts for 310,000 deaths in America every year, or 850 a day—more than those caused by breast cancer, lung cancer, stroke, and AIDS combined. But despite how common the condition is, doctors know little about what predisposes one person to it and not another. The National Institutes of Health is currently mounting a major study at 60 trial sites across the country to try and identify risk factors related to both genes and lifestyle, and will begin enrolling patients this week. For now, says Jeffrey Olgin, a cardiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, assessing risk is "a very, very difficult thing. I can't look at you and say you have a 10 percent chance of dying from this."

Doctors do know that a previous history of heart attacks is the most important risk factor. Vice President **** Cheney, who has suffered four heart attacks, wears a pacemaker to ward off sudden arrest. Age and gender also play roles, and as a 58-year-old male, Russert was in high-risk groups; the average age for suffering sudden cardiac death is between 58 and 62. Other factors involved in all forms of cardiovascular disease—family history, smoking, diabetes, and obesity—can come into play. Russert had some of these too; he had been previously diagnosed with diabetes and and coronary artery disease, and his autopsy on Friday showed an enlarged heart. But doctors do not know which of these factors is most important in causing a sudden heart attack, or why. They also do not know if stress plays a role at all; the data is unclear. "Most of us do not think it is terribly relevant," says Steven Nissen, chair of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic and a past president of the American College of Cardiology. After all, he notes, "many people in this world have stressful jobs," and they don't all die of of heart attacks.

More Tim Russert and Sudden Cardiac Arrest | Newsweek Health | Newsweek.com

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Gonna be hard finding someone to replace him...

Remembering Tim Russert: Networks Honor Newsman
June 15, 2008 - Sunday Show Recap, In the Papers, Week Ahead

Washington remained in a state of mourning on the first Sunday since NBC's Tim Russert died of a heart attack -- and the grieving was punctuated by on-air tributes from friends, colleagues and competitors on the broadcast networks. NBC opened "Meet the Press" with a somber reminder that he really is gone. The familiar moderator's chair and table where Russert had so famously interrogated politicians and newsmakers was empty. "Our issues this Sunday. Tim Russert started every edition of Meet the Press with those four words, and those were the words that he was preparing to record when he collapsed and died on Friday at these NBC studios in Washington," announced Russert's longtime friend and colleague Tom Brokaw. The entire hour of MTP was reserved for reflection on Russert's life and legacy. Even rivals at others networks took time to remember the man who reinvigorated Sunday television, and elevated this country's political discourse during his nearly two decades at the helm of "Meet the Press".

Said ABC's George Stephanopoulos at the beginning on "This Week". "Tim loved everything about politics and journalism. He loved the game. He loved the gossip, too. Making the powerful squirm was his duty, but he tried to do it almost always with a smile." CBS's Bob Schieffer used a taped message on "Face the Nation" to reflect on what he thought made Russert a great journalist. He concluded it was Russert's hard work and preparation. "In our business, you know which of your colleagues do their own work and you know which ones don't, and somehow the public has a way of figuring that out as well," said Schieffer. A visibly emotional Chris Wallace of "Fox News Sunday", joked about his irritation with Russert's popular sign off, "If it's Sunday, it's Meet the Press." But he said he would give anything to hear it again.

"That he isn't here to celebrate his Father's Day is so profoundly sad," observed CNN "Late Edition" anchor Wolf Blitzer. Blitzer seemed to effectively capture the irony that the man who revered his father, Big Russ, and his son, Luke, passed away just two days before Father's Day. As for the non-Russert highlights from the talk shows…. Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards argued that Republican nominee-to-be Sen. John McCain's tax cuts would go to the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations." I mean, $4 billion -- at a time when Americans are paying $4 a gallon for gas there's $4 billion of tax cuts to the biggest oil companies in America. This is crazy. I mean, it doesn't make any sense whatsoever. And any American with any common sense knows that."

More ABC News: Networks Honor NBC's Tim Russert

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Replacing Tim Russert Tough Task for NBC News
June 17, 2008 - Still reeling from Tim Russert's death, NBC News must now contemplate replacing the man who not only dominated the Sunday morning talk shows, but served as chief political commentator and ran the Washington bureau.

The "Meet the Press" host had what was arguably the most important and far-reaching job in television news, particularly in an election year. He died of a heart attack Friday while preparing for another week's edition of "Meet the Press." NBC wasn't talking about potential successors while planning Russert's wake on Tuesday and memorial service Wednesday that will be televised on MSNBC from the Kennedy Center. Top anchor Brian Williams cancelled an appearance Monday at the Peabody Awards to be with his stricken staff.

NBC has potential successors to Russert on "Meet the Press" already within the company. The decision has big financial implications, since the show reportedly earns more than $60 million a year in profits with relatively few expenses and often has a waiting list of potential advertisers. A wrong move can provide an opportunity to ABC News' "This Week" and George Stephanopoulos, which has averaged 2.8 million viewers this year. That's second to NBC's 4.17 million, with both networks up from last year during a period of heavy political attention.

"Hardball" host Chris Matthews is the best-known internal candidate. He already has a Sunday talk show syndicated by NBC Universal that's very competitive with the networks, despite taping on Friday. "The Chris Matthews Show" averages about 2.3 million viewers, less than CBS' "Face the Nation" and more than Fox's show with Chris Wallace. Matthews was considered a candidate to replace Bob Schieffer on "Face the Nation" earlier this year, until Schieffer decided to stay on a few more years.

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Some good coming from his death...

The Russert Effect: Docs Report Surge
June 18, 2008 - Russert's death sends patients to their doctors with questions.

Tim Russert's death Friday from sudden cardiac arrest may have hit a nerve deeper than sadness. Though not in top condition, the dynamic host of NBC's "Meet the Press" was managing his health well. Russert, 58, had recently had a satisfactory stress test, and his doctor reported that he was not diabetic and that his cholesterol levels were appropriate. Now, Russert's death may lead some to fear for their own seemingly healthy bodies, or the health of a loved one -- and doctors are seeing the effects.

"I am starting to get calls from patients and families," said Dr. Christopher Cannon, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a cardiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston. "They want to avoid a similar outcome." There is cause to worry. Heart disease affects 16 million people in the United States, according to 2004 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The problem is compounded by the increased rates of obesity and diabetes, both of which can increase the risk of heart disease.

According to Russert's personal physician, Dr. Michael Newman, Russert did not have diabetes and his LDL was 68 (the recommended level is 70 or less). However, Russert carried a lot of belly fat, a known risk factor for heart disease. In general, a healthy person will have a waist measurement that is less than half of their height. "The message was clear, Tim Russert was too fat for too long and this promoted his premature heart disease," said Dr. Peter McCullough, consultant cardiologist and chief of the division of nutrition and preventive medicine at William Beaumont Hospital in Michigan. "Patients are getting the message that weight loss is fundamental to reducing [overall] risk. Medications further the efforts by tackling individual risk factors."

The Heart of the Matter

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Brokaw's back...

NBC's Brokaw picked to moderate "Meet the Press"
Sun Jun 22, 2008 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - NBC News picked veteran Tom Brokaw to moderate "Meet the Press" through the 2008 U.S. election season, NBC News President Steve Capus said on Sunday.

Tim Russert, the longtime host of the Sunday morning news program who was known for his interviews of leading U.S. political figures, died of a heart attack on June 13. He was also the television network's Washington bureau chief.

Brokaw, 68, a well-known and respected figure in U.S. broadcast journalism, stepped down as anchor of the "NBC Nightly News" in 2004 after 21 years.

"To have someone of Tom's stature step up and dedicate himself to ensuring its ongoing success is not only a testament to his loyalty to Tim, but his enduring commitment to NBC News and our viewers," Capus said in a statement.

NBC's Brokaw picked to moderate Meet the Press | U.S. | Reuters