‘Meet the Press’ host buzz builds
NEW YORK — Speculation about who will be the next moderator of “Meet the Press” ratcheted up another level Monday as the Huffington Post reported that the job was going to NBC chief White House correspondent David Gregory, while the network maintained that no announcement was imminent.
“We have nothing to announce,” NBC News spokeswoman Allison Gollust said.
The website, which did not cite the sources for its report, said interim moderator Tom Brokaw would end his run on the program Sunday, when he interviews President-elect Barack Obama.
The Times reported last week that Brokaw’s last show would probably be Sunday because NBC executives were close to naming a permanent successor to moderator Tim Russert, who died in June.
Gregory has long been considered a front-runner for the post. A veteran political reporter, he became known for his dogged questioning of press officials while covering the Bush White House. The 38-year-old has a high profile at the network, serving as a substitute for Matt Lauer on “Today” and guest moderating “Meet the Press.” Since March, Gregory has had his own daily show, now called “1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,” on MSNBC.
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