Tom Brokaw

As far as I'm concerned, Brian Williams is the logical heir-apparent to Tom Brokaw's throne ("On-Air Apparent?," by Robert Strauss, May 7). For openers, he's easy on the eyes, has a relaxed demeanor and has a clear delivery. What's more, he is devoid of any discernible speech impediment, which Brokaw is saddled with, pronouncing "l's" as "r's." MOLLY B. SEPSIS Hollywood I have enjoyed NBC's Williams for the past two years He is one of the few television commentators who does not annoy me in one way or another.

NBC News anchorman Tom Brokaw said he has bought an interest in a 4,000-acre ranch as a mountain retreat. Brokaw said he had been looking for Montana property since 1981, when he came to the state to film an NBC special and became enchanted. "I think the world of Montana and I've always wanted to be a part of it," he said. He now is honorary chairman of Friends of Montana, a program of the Nature Conservancy.

Flak is flying between National Broadcasting Co. and the Motion Picture Assn. of America over their respective, and well-known, positions on the seemingly endless debate over television's "financial interest and syndication" rules. Public relations staffers have been working overtime drafting snarling letters to the opposition and dutifully faxing copies to the press. NBC started the PR spat earlier this month when it publicized its unsolicited "response" to Pathe Entertainment's $1.

They (whoever "they" is) said one hit of the new season would be "Fresh Prince of Bel Air," starring Will Smith (below). But what do you say? As the fall season is under way, we want to know what new shows you pick to be a hit with audiences and which ones have already struck your fancy. Here are responses to the Sept. 16 question: What network do you turn to for news? What network do I turn to for critical news? That's easy. Tom Brokaw is far and away the most knowledgeable, professional and outstanding news specialist around.

Pavlov's dog could take lessons from Quayle and Vice President George Bush. At first, it appeared that whatever question was posed to a candidate, the candidate twisted it so that it could be answered by regurgitating a memorized speech. However, at the point when Tom Brokaw asked Quayle what literary works most affected him, and this self-confessed "average student" embarked upon an analysis of "Nicholas and Alexandra" and books by Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and former President Richard Nixon, all of which he claims to have read during the last six months, it became clear why the League of Women Voters blasted the "debate."

NBC News anchorman Tom Brokaw is on his way to Beijing today to report on the unrest in China and ABC's Ted Koppel will fly there during the weekend, the two networks announced today. CBS has no immediate plans to send back Dan Rather, who made news two weeks ago by being the only network anchor, other than CNN's Bernard Shaw, to be on the scene covering the student occupation of Tian An Men Square. Brokaw and ABC's Peter Jennings, while praising their own correspondents' coverage in China, both expressed disappointment that they had not been there themselves for one of the biggest stories of the year.

Please! Can't we in this country knock off these racist "studies"? Just because black athletes are dominant in one or two sports (such as some track events and basketball), why must Tom Brokaw or anyone else produce a television special on that subject? Because it is sensational, that is why! Actually, this is old stuff. When Jesse Owens, et al., were prominent in track and field in the 1930s, whites came up with all sorts of weird explanations for the supposed superiority: longer heels, bigger hips . . . such trash.

When it's time to broadcast the "NBC Nightly News," Tom Brokaw no longer has to trek across the street to the "Today" show: He and his colleagues returned to their own set Thursday. He calls it a "baby step" in the return to normality, after weeks of being displaced when his work space was contaminated by anthrax spores that infected his assistant and another staffer.

NBC announced Sunday that Tom Brokaw, the former anchor of "NBC Nightly News," will host "Meet the Press" in Tim Russert's place through the November elections. Russert died June 13. In addition to the public mourning, his death created an important vacancy within NBC's news division. For the last week, the leading candidates to replace him appeared to be NBC News Chief White House Correspondent David Gregory, PBS' Gwen Ifill, MSNBC's Chris Matthews and NBC Political Director Chuck Todd.