Bob Dotson Sign-Off After 40-Years With NBC News

Bob Dotson, the NBC News national correspondent who for 40 years traveled the back roads of the country in search of what he called “ordinary people who did extraordinary things,” retired from the network Friday.

Dotson - 1970

The LA Times reports Dotson’s “American Story” segments have been a part of NBC “Today” since the 1980s. His stories often focused on people known in their communities for performing generous acts -- long before everyone could be instantly celebrated on social media. He was among the few TV news correspondents known for showing up in small towns where there had not been a tragedy or natural disaster.

After starting his TV news career in Oklahoma City, Dotson joined WKYC-TV in Cleveland in 1975, when NBC-owned stations worked in tandem with the news division.

He moved to Atlanta when "Today" made him part of a group of correspondents that included Mike Leonard in Chicago and Boyd Matson in Los Angeles, who were assigned to a regular segment called "Cross Country." It was developed in response to viewer perception that the news media focused too much attention on New York and Washington.