Tom Brokaw's departure from NBC also had the network's rising stars flock to social media to pay tribute to a legend. MSNBC's numbers superstar Steve Kornacki tweeted a clip of Brokaw's first solo newscast with the caption: "A sad day as Tom Brokaw announces his retirement from NBC after 55 years." 

MSNBC host and NBC News Capitol Hill correspondent Kasie Hunt also tweeted a tribute, saying, "So bittersweet to hear the great Tom Brokaw is retiring from @NBCNews after more than half a century. I'm still in awe I had the chance to learn from him and am so incredibly grateful for the interest he took in my career and the advice he gave so freely"

Brokaw's years at NBC didn't just give him a wealth of friends and colleagues and a chance to watch history unfold, it also made him rich. In 1997, Celebrity Net Worth says Brokaw's five-year contract was worth $7 million, and he chose to extend that by three years to 2004. A second extension, which lasted a decade, saw Brokaw producing programming for the network, and his annual salary during that time was ballparked at $5 million. All told, it is estimated that Brokaw's distinguished career as anchor, producer, and author gave him a net worth of $85 million.