QUICK TAKES - March 12, 2009

Tom Brokaw is hitting the road in search of Americans affected by the recession.

In an unusual promotional tie-in with USA Networks, the NBC newsman will film a series of documentaries at various towns along U.S. Route 50, a fabled highway that spans the nation from Maryland to California.

The segments will run on various NBC News platforms as well as USA, the cable network owned by NBC Universal, although the exact details are still being worked out.

-- Scott Collins