Tom Brokaw said Sunday he hopes to maintain "Meet the Press" as "the center of gravity" for political debate after agreeing to step in for the late Tim Russert through the presidential election.

"I'm hoping I'll be able to hold it to the high level Tim took it to and keep it in place for whoever is going to be the next host of 'Meet the Press,' " Brokaw said from his Montana ranch.

NBC staffers have been grieving since Russert, the Washington bureau chief, died of a heart attack June 13. But news division president Steve Capus also faced the dilemma of choosing a successor for the money-making program. Russert's 17-year tenure was defined by his aggressive interrogations and made "Meet the Press" the premier platform for politicians looking to prove their mettle.

"Anybody who goes in there is going to be judged against Tim, which is unfair," Capus said. "The only one who wouldn't be is Tom. This is a real comfort to the entire news division."

Asked whether he might wind up liking the moderator's job well enough to keep it, Brokaw, 68, said: "That's a Tim question: 'Are you running? Are you interested in running?' " Brokaw insisted he is not. (Howard Kurtz, Washington Post)

Channel 4 news anchor Wendy Bell, who gave birth to twin boys less than two weeks ago, was back on the air yesterday. She explained during last night's 5 p.m. newscast that the boys are healthy and she's saving her maternity leave until the babies come home from the hospital. "They were born very early, eight weeks early, and neither is four pounds yet," she said in a conversation with anchor Michelle Wright and meteorologist Demetrius Ivory. "But they're very healthy, and when they come home from the hospital, that's when I'll get out of your hair." (Rob Owen, Post-Gazette TV editor)