tom brokaw is an icon in the tv news business. brian williams followed him. traveled the world, covered washington covered the wall. brian williams treat to deflate himself into brokaw's news. that's where we are today. >> asked for a comment and declined. also a piece about david letterman, the thing that got me surprised in the story. you say he pitched about succeeding david letterman. a high-level source says voonves declined. he was at a fork in the road. he was choosing news or comedy. >> yes. i think the trouble he got into once he decided to stay in the news business his heart was still in comedy. he loves late night. he was on letterman last year where he made 2013 -- two years ago where he made some of those comments. >> there he is. >> there he is. he re-signs with nbc but still wants to be in the comedy world. you can't be entertainer or journalist. one, journalist has to be willing to anger people journalists have to be like two roles. >> still an opening at the daley show when jon stewart leaves. in some ways nbc news back it where it was in 1993

in early november tom brokaw travels to berlin to report on the political situation. >> i went becauseind of percolating situation. it was simmering. and you could feel it was going to boil over. >> the giant imposing berlin wall splits the city in two. >> the wall was this sinister symbol of the division between east and west. when you went to see it in person, i'd been there several times before, you could never adequately convey the coldness of it on camera. it was this ominous piece of slab of concrete. and we knew obviously about all the people who had paid for their lives trying to get over it. >> the day after arriving in berlin brokaw attends a press conference called by the minister of information for the east german republic, a man named gunter schabowski. >> the room was about half asleep at the time, and then he read this statement from the politburo that all citizens of the gdr would be able to leave and return. and it was as if it had arrived from the moon. did we hear what we thought we'd heard? >> nbc news arranges for brokaw to interview schabowski after the press conf

the first is about tom brokaw and let's put on the screen part of what you wrote about tom brokaw brokawing tom brokaw. >> it's a very cold situation. how could brian williams get himself into this mess and the story i heard over and over again is he tried to live up to the brokaw's legacy. tom brokaw is an icon in the tv news business and brian williams followed him. so he always felt this deficiency that brokaw traveled the world and was a reporter and trafrled washington and trafrled the fall of the berlin wall and williams tried to inflate himself into brokaw's shoes and he told people that brokaw was frosty to him and that is one of the events that led to where we are today. >> this week we asked brokaw for comment and he declined. david letterman, the thing that got me most surprised is that williams pitched les moonves about succeeding david letterman. you attribute this to a high-level source and moonves wasn't interested and cbs declined to comment. >> he was choosing news or comedy? >> yes. the trouble he got into was once he decided to stay in the news business his, you know h

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. >> tony was already a local legend by the time he made an appearance on "nightly news" with tom brokaw i can tell it's monday. i haven't gotten one smile today yet. >> "countdown with keith olbermann." >> finally to providence, rhode island, where no holiday season would be complete without tony lapore directing traffic as the dancing traffic cop. >> and the "today" show. >> it's the return of tony lapore, the dancing traffic cop. he's entertained them for years with his fancy footwork. >> i love that guy, sarah. >> isn't he great? >> and since providence is still buzzing about the dancing cop, we decided to check out his act. [ whistles ] [ whistles ] >> tony is, in fact, so well known around providence that he credits his celebrity status with helping to fight crime. >> i've caught bank robbers, guys with guns down here because people actually knew who i was by my first name. and they would tell me, hey, something's going down in the outlook garage, or something's going down at the bus station. boom, boom, boom, i would go. >> you think i didn't recognize you? how you doing, buddy? >

huge discussion about fraternities and sororities on campus and actually one of our colleagues tom brokaw weighed in on this saying i was briefly a fraternity member in college and still have friends in that chapter. i've comp to the conclusion, tom speaking, fraternity have to be rekonconstituted. there is too much alcohol and sexual abuse, too much animal house behavior. >> he makes a good point. he's saying fraternities have to look inward, say what are we really about? he makes an interesting point about the military. those who can't afford to go to college now are in uniform. they're in harm's way in afghanistan and iraq and they're privileged on campus should keep that in mind every day and much weekend. that's a good point. >> it's a conversation too, for sorority. you mentioned why do you want to be a part of a group that puts you through such torture to be a member. so it extends past fraternities though they're in the headlines. two conversations on sorority as well. >> there are a the lot of fraternity and sororities doing good things and taking care of business. >>> there's no

i was first introduced to this by tom brokaw. it is like a greek seasoning. butcher. you do this you want put it on a foil wrap put a little water underneath. you fold it up and you're going to put this in the oven 325 for about three hours. comes out looking like this. this is going to be simplicity unto itself. it is kind of a fatty meat a strong meat so i like to take a figure jam, figure spread a little lemon juice and then you just spread it on like that. then you put it back in the oven for another 35 40 minutes until it comes out looking like this. you'll cut up the individual rib and they look something like that. >> i have to say, i thought this was grilled at first. with the flavor. >> then for a quick side, kind of middle eastern, israeli couscous. it cooks up very fast like six, seven minutes. oil it a little bit. you'll take some mint some scallions, put that in and take a little lemon zest little lemon juice. you're going to reconstitute some dried currants in orange juice. then you put that in. and reserve some of the juice, throw that in roast