Brian Williams stays cool under fire (alarm) during ‘Nightly News’
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Brian Williams, dubbed ‘the Walter Cronkite of the 21st century’ in a commentary on MarketWatch last year, demonstrated Tuesday night why he’s earned the title when a fire alarm at the new studio in 30 Rockefeller Plaza sounded during the East Coast broadcast of the ‘NBC Nightly News.’
Williams was just kicking off the broadcast with a story about American Airlines filing for bankruptcy when the alarm sounded, followed by an announcement over loudspeakers in the studio. Williams did not miss a beat in saying, ‘You’ll forgive us, we have a fire alarm announcement going on here in the studio.’
Williams soldiered on through the report, only cracking a smile when the fire alarm beeps turned into whooping sirens. As he threw to correspondent Tom Costello, Williams said, ‘We should advise our viewers there’s no danger to us. We’d love to make this stop.’
Costello, reporting from NBC’s Washington bureau, seemed equally amused, giggling, ‘I’m glad you’re OK. That’s a first for me.’
Williams seemed less amused later in the broadcast as the ever-evolving fire alarm turned into a steady, unbroken hum layered over his report.
NBC spokeswoman Erika Masonhall told the Associated Press the fire alarm was a drill, but technicians could not immediately turn off the speakers in the nightly newscast’s new studio.
The alarm was fixed before Williams recorded the West Coast edition of the news.
RELATED:
Brian Williams rolls out ‘Rock Center’
NBC News Twitter feed hacked with fake terrorism post
NBC News veteran Patrick Burkey named show’s executive producer
-- Patrick Kevin Day
