Irving R. Levine | NBC newsman, 86

Irving R. Levine, 86, the NBC journalist who explained the fine points of economics to millions of viewers for nearly a quarter-century, died in Washington on Friday of prostate cancer complications.

Known for his dry, measured delivery and trademark bow ties, Mr. Levine was a presence at NBC from 1950, when he began covering the Korean War, until his retirement in 1995.

He became the network's full-time economics correspondent in 1971 and in the last five years of his tenure also did weekly commentaries on CNBC. After leaving NBC, he joined Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla., as dean of the college of international communication, retiring from the school in 2004.

Mr. Levine, born in Pawtucket, R.I., began his career in 1940, writing obituaries for the Providence Journal. He also was a correspondent for the International News Service and the Times of London. After joining NBC, he covered assignments from Korea, Moscow, Vietnam, Algeria, Poland, and South Africa.

In a 1995 Times interview, he recalled he had hoped to cover the State Department after winding up his foreign-correspondent days. NBC bosses asked him in 1971 to cover business news instead. But "producers just weren't interested in those stories," Mr. Levine said. By the time he retired, business news on TV was a booming field.

- AP