NBC names David Gregory host of ‘Meet the Press

David Gregory’s new job as moderator of “Meet the Press” was made official Sunday with an announcement on the long-running NBC interview program that he will take over starting next week.

The 38-year-old chief White House correspondent for NBC News was introduced by Tom Brokaw, who stepped in as temporary host last June after the death of Tim Russert, the program’s moderator since 1991.

“I’ve thought a lot about what it means to succeed somebody like Tim Russert,” Gregory told viewers. “I’m not Tim. But along with this great team, I can just work real hard to make him proud.”

In addition to his “Meet the Press” responsibilities, Gregory will be a regular contributor for “Today” and continue as a backup anchor. He will also continue as a regular contributor and analyst on MSNBC and for NBC News coverage of special events, the network said.

A Los Angeles native who joined NBC News in 1995, Gregory was MSNBC’s chief anchor on Election Night and during general election debates, and has hosted an hourlong political show weekdays on MSNBC.

Sunday’s announcement came after months of speculation about who would be chosen, with unconfirmed reports surfacing last week that NBC had settled on Gregory. Until then, Andrea Mitchell, Chuck Todd and Gwen Ifill were also among those thought to be contenders.

The choice of Gregory was “a natural decision,” said NBC News President Steve Capus, explaining “he’s got a full skill set” as a broadcast journalist.