David Brinkley | Salary Undisclosed

David Brinkley successfully crossed from the end of the radio age to the start of the internet age. He’s one of the most influential journalists in the business, with over 50 years of service under his name. Of course, his stint as a newscaster earned him different accolades, like a whopping ten Emmy, three Peabody awards, and a Presidential Medal of Freedom.

He’s even the man behind the bestseller 1988 book Washington Goes to War, which is based on his time as a young reporter in the city, observing the war. In his transition to the small screen, he became the co-anchor of NBC’s top-rated news program, The Huntley-Brinkley Report. He also hosted the hit Sunday program This Week with David Brinkley and became the top commentator of ABC News’ election-night coverage. His investments in the business brought him far until he eventually retired in the late ‘90s.