Irving R. Levine

It was then and remains still one of the most distinctive sign-offs in broadcast journalism: “Irving R. Levine, NBC News.” That was the signature of my colleague and friend, who was as precise in his reporting and in his personal style as the neat knot on his trademark bow tie. He seldom removed his suit jacket, and he always slipped on white cotton gloves when reading a newspaper so the ink wouldn’t stain his hands.

When news of his death on March 27 at the age of 86 was announced by his family, it was accompanied by a stylish and anecdotal 3½-page tribute that recalled his coverage of the Korean War; how he’d become the first American television reporter based in Moscow during the Cold War; and his assignments in Rome, Tokyo and Vienna before his pioneering work as a full-time economics correspondent.

The tribute also mentioned the many comical comments made by President George H.W. Bush and late-night talk-show hosts like Johnny Carson on his bow tie and not-just-a-pretty-face appearances on network news. The 3½-page dispatch was written by Irving himself a few months before he died because, a son said, he didn’t want any mistakes. It was also Irving’s final sly tribute to his unique image in a medium increasingly defined by sameness.

Irving was once asked by a producer to drop the R, his middle initial, from the sign-off to save a second or two. IRL, as he signed his memos, responded, “I’d rather drop the B in NBC.”