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Now the kids
of the Great Generation

On CNBC, Tom Brokaw profiles the baby boomers

By Louisa Ada Seltzer
Mar 4, 2010

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Twelve years ago, then-"NBC Nightly News" anchor Tom Brokaw wrote a book called "The Greatest Generation," about the Americans who came of age during the Great Depression and World War II.

Tonight, Brokaw takes a go at their children in a new two-hour documentary entitled "Tom Brokaw Reports: Boomer$," airing at 9 p.m. on CNBC.

The film looks at the history of the Baby Boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, in an effort to define what lays ahead as the generation heads into their retirement years. Brokaw notes that the Boomers exhibited optimism and great faith in the future while they were young, and he sees the next decade as critical to their legacy.

There are some 78 million Boomers, including satirist P.J. O'Rourke, actor Tom Hanks and Sen. James Webb, all of whom are interviewed tonight. Brokaw also touches on the major social, political and cultural events of the past decades, such as wars, civil rights and Woodstock, to define the major influences on this generation.

It's just the latest example of Brokaw's continuing collaboration with NBC. He left the anchor desk five and a half years ago, but he's remained active at NBC Universal since then by filling in on "Meet the Press" after Tim Russert's death, collaborating on a project with USA, and offering occasional MSNBC commentary.

The documentary was promoted during NBC Universal's recent Olympics coverage, which could help draw in some extra viewers. But it faces stiff broadcast competition, including NBC's own special one-hour episode of "The Office."

CNBC is coming off a strong month in which Winter Games coverage helped double its primetime average among total viewers, going from 317,000 to 638,000 in total viewers and from 132,000 to 312,000 in adults 25-54.

A look at this week’s top TV draws
THURSDAY, MARCH 4
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	ABC	“Good Morning America” (N)	Tom Hanks and “America’s Most Wanted” host John Walsh both guest.
8 p.m.	Fox	“American Idol” (R)	Two more guys and two more gals will be cut, bringing the field down to 16.
8 p.m.	TNT	“NBA Basketball” (S)	Kobe and the Lakers travel to Miami to take on the Heat.
9 p.m.	ABC	“Grey’s Anatomy” (D)	A famous surgeon checks into the ER and requests an unusual procedure.
9 p.m.	NBC	“The Office” (C)	Pam heads to the hospital to give birth to her and Jim’s baby.
10 p.m.	CBS	“The Mentalist” (D)	A chef is killed at a cooking competition in Napa Valley.
FRIDAY, MARCH 5
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	CBS	“Ghost Whisperer” (D)	A ghost tells Melinda about a dump that’s housing unexploded bombs.
8 p.m.	Disney Channel	“Suite Life on Deck” (C)	Zack, Cody and London all dream that they’re in fairy tales.
8 p.m.	Nickelodeon	“iCarly” (C)	A billionaire wants to help Carly and Co. put on the first live internet show from space.
9 p.m.	CBS	“Medium” (D)	Allison takes self defense classes after she’s mugged.
9 p.m.	HBO	“The Ricky Gervais Show” (C)	Among the topics discussed are personal mottos and superpowers.
10 p.m.	CBS	“Numb3rs” (D)	Charlie and Amita’s wedding plans could be on hold after they’re offered a new job. Bit of foreshadowing there, as this show is not expected to be renewed.
SATURDAY, MARCH 6
Time	Network	Program	Description
3 p.m.	NBC	‘PGA Golf” (S)	Third round of the Honda Classic from Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
8 p.m.	Fox	“Cops” (R)	Cops in San Diego catch a mother-son pair who stole a cake.
8 p.m.	National Geographic Channel	“Dangerous Encounters” (N)	A look at potentially dangerous animals that live in the American West.
9 p.m.	ESPN	“College Basketball” (S)	North Carolina and Duke renew their rivalry in men’s basketball.
9 p.m.	Hallmark Channel	“Uncorked” (M)	A workaholic suddenly has time on her hands while in California’s wine region.
11:30 p.m.	NBC	“Saturday Night Live” (S)	Zach Galifianakis guests and Vampire Weekend performs.
SUNDAY, MARCH 7
Time	Network	Program	Description
Noon	CBS	“College Basketball” (S)	A good SEC matchup between Florida and Kentucky.
Noon	Fox	“NASCAR Racing” (S)	A Sprint Cup race in Atlanta.
6 p.m.	E!	“Live From the Red Carpet” (A)	Ryan Seacrest and Giuliana Rancic interview celebs before the Academy Awards.
8:30 p.m.	ABC	“Academy Awards” (A)	Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin team up to host the 82nd annual event.
9 p.m.	HBO	“Big Love” (D)	Season finale. Tension builds as election day approaches.
10 p.m.	CBS	“Cold Case” (D)	The 1986 case of a murdered dock worker/pro wrestler is reopened.
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.