NBCUniversal Dedicates Broadcast Facility to Tom Brokaw

NBCUniversal dedicated its Universal City broadcast facility -- which will house NBC News, local affiliates and other networks -- in honor of veteran newsman Tom Brokaw today.

"The name Tom Brokaw is synonymous with integrity, passion and a commitment to getting the story right," according to Steve Burke, CEO of NBCUniversal. "It is fitting to name this state-of-the-art news center after a true broadcast legend like Tom who has done so much for journalism and for NBC News. I can think of no one more deserving of this honor."

In addition to the West Coast operations of NBC News, the "Brokaw News Center" also houses CNBC, MSNBC and Telemundo News, along with NBC4 and KVEA/Telemundo.

Brokaw was on hand for a dedication ceremony at the facility, along with a host of dignitaries, including director Steven Spielberg.

Brokaw spent nearly his entire career with NBC News, starting as a Los Angeles bureau correspondent and a KNBC anchor.

"This is a singular honor and I am so grateful to Steve Burke and the Comcast team for making it possible," Brokaw said. "I still remember the day I drove into the NBC News Burbank parking lot and thought, 'My life is about to change.' I had just turned 26 and now, almost a half-century later, indeed it has changed in ways I could not have imagined.

"I'm an NBC News lifer and very proud of it. None of this would have been possible without the support of the producers, cameramen, technicians and office staff who were always there for me," he said. "They're like family and this honor belongs to them as well. So I accept this recognition with gratitude, humility and pride."

The 150,000-square-foot news center includes two three-story buildings with four newsrooms, six production studios and more than 12,000 strands of fiber.

Once it is fully occupied, more than 600 people will work out of the center.

--City News Service