BY EMILIE WEINBECJ, FEATURES EDITOR
If you or your parents have ever turned on the evening news there is a chance you might have seen Brian Williams, MSNBC host, and former “NBC Nightly News” anchor. After 28 years in TV news, Williams has decided to retire at the end of the year to “spend time with his family,” MSNBC President Rashida Jones announced on Tuesday.
Over the years Williams has racked up some major accomplishments. He has reported from 38 countries, eight Olympic games, seven presidential elections, half a dozen presidents, a few wars and has been seen on SNL.
Williams started his broadcasting career in Pittsburg, Kansas at KOAM-TV. After being in Kansas for a year, Williams moved to the Washington D.C. area where he covered news for a then independent station, WTTG. After going to Philadelphia and New York City Williams finally joined NBC News in 1993.
At the start of his NBC News career Williams anchored the national “Weekly Nightly News” and was chief White House correspondent. On Dec. 2, 2004 Willams became the anchor of “NBC Nightly News” and replaced the retiring Tom Brokaw. Not long after taking the anchor position did Williams start to get praise. His coverage of Hurricane Katrina was widely praised after he vented his anger and frustration over the government failing to help the victims quickly.
In an email sent out this week, Jones said Williams broke “countless” major stories during his career and helped to attract top journalists across the country to his program. Just like in any career Williams had his ups and downs.
In 2015, while he was the anchor of “NBC Nightly News,” Williams was suspended by the network for six months after he told an incorrect story about how his helicopters had been hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.
He later admitted on air that he had “made a mistake in recalling the events of 12 years ago.” After his suspension, Williams decided to move to MSNBC, where he later launched “The 11th Hour.” The MSNBC broadcast gives viewers the latest updates on evolving news stories and features a dynamic panel of guests to offer a new look at the critical stories of the day.
“My return years later was my choice, as was launching “The 11th Hour” that I’m as proud of as the decade I spent anchoring Nightly News,” Williams said in his statement. “I wanted it to be called “The 11th Hour,” and I wanted it to air at 11 p.m. Eastern time.”
Williams hopes his viewers will continue watching “The 11th Hour,” saying “I ask all those who are a part of our loyal viewing audience to remain loyal. The 11th hour will remain in good hands, produced by the best team in cable news.”
Williams has not announced specific plans for any kind of return to TV every once and awhile but has said that he had many things he hoped to do and that he expected that he would pop up again somewhere.
