Post-Russert, NBC Should Remake Meet the Press

Paralyzed by the perceived necessity of finding a Tim Russert doppelganger, NBC has already taken too long to choose a new host for Meet the Press, writes Tina Brown for the Daily Beast. “Russert defined an era,” Brown writes, "but that era is over.” Tom Brokaw needs a rest, and the show's format needs an overhaul.

Avoid the Washington insiders—both guests and host—advises Brown. Rather, make use of informed outsiders who will challenge the “received wisdom” of those “B-list senators and warhorse commentators” who are TV's bland staples. MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow would be ideal for the top spot: She’s smart and unflappable, “and she listens to what the person she’s talking to is saying.”
(More Tina Brown stories.)