Brinkley a TV news giant.

Byline: The Register-Guard

The death Wednesday of David Brinkley a month shy of his 83rd birthday underscores the on-going exits of the early icons of television news. Of those groundbreaking newscasters who informed - and, in Brinkley's case, also entertained - the nation during television's infancy and during some of the most momentous events of the 20th century, only Walter Cronkite remains. It's worth remembering those giants, because they gave the news a personality, a voice and a face.

In Brinkley's case, the news was also given a dose of skepticism and wry humor. Brinkley was of the old school of broadcasters who began their careers in newspapers and segued to the new medium of television. It was a medium - and theirs was a presence that gave it personality - that spanned not only the globe but, a bit later, the universe.

The events they informed us about on their nightly or weekly newscasts covered the spectrum. Brinkley underlined this fact with the subtitle of his autobiography: "David Brinkley: 11 Presidents, 4 Wars, 22 Political Conventions, 1 Moon Landing, 3 Assassinations, 2,000 Weeks of News and Other Stuff on Television and 18 Years of Growing Up in North Carolina." It was that wry wit and to-the-point candor that set Brinkley apart. The soft Southern drawl, barely noticeable but there nonetheless, added to the mystique.

Brinkley's star ascended when NBC paired him with Chet Huntley, a better looking and deeper-voiced newscaster, in 1956. In the "Huntley-Brinkley Report," Huntley broadcast from New York, while Brinkley broadcast from Washington, D.C. Their partnership - highlighted by their sign-offs of "Good Night, Chet" and "Good Night, David" became one of television's, and modern American culture's, most famous lines.

Their run as the country's favorite news team ended with Huntley's retirement in 1970 (he died four years later). Brinkley remained at NBC for several more years, but never seemed to fit in. So he quit and, in 1981, he joined ABC and hosted a quickly famous Sunday morning talk show known as "This Week with David Brinkley." It became a hit, full of news, commentary, humor and Brinkley's sardonic views of life and world events.

Brinkley brought professionalism, a strong background in news, a somewhat jaundiced view and his famous and unconventional humor to the world of television news. He was a pioneer who - on the air - once called Bill Clinton "a bore," and who once said: "Most of the news isn't very important. In fact, very little of it is."

But David Brinkley knew deep down that world events are important. His career is a testament to that, and to the unique way he brought the news to his viewers.