My first media encounter with Tim Russert was when NBC Super Channel arrived onto Astra 1 in 1995. At the time, I knew nothing about what an American television network did. So, NBC Super Channel was my first introduction to the world of American television networks.
Meet The Press was something new to me. A Sunday morning "Public Affairs" programme. We had had Sunday morning political shows in the UK, but the term "Public Affairs" was new and confusing. And whilst that confusion has lifted, I gained a respect for Tim and his love of politics.
For me, it has always been Meet The Press with Tim Russert, from NBC Super Channel to CNBC Europe, and then later to a downloadable podcast. Meet The Press with Tim Russert was always a regular appointment.
The news of his death, is, quite understandably, a shock. He was a consumate professional, a brilliant interviewer, and a wealth of knowledge and experience, almost encyclopedic, of the Washington political scene.
But more than that, Tim Russert shared his roots, his background with all of us, and you saw and felt just where he came from. He was an "everyman" with the razor sharp lawyer's intellect. and the insights of someone who worked inside the Washington political machine, but never lost his grounding in what was real, what mattered outside the bubble of Washington politics.
As a journalist, he's an inspiration. As a person, he couldn't have been more balanced. Journalism has lost a real pro, and humanity has lost an everyman. Tim Russert was just 58.
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