"Today" (1952) TV series 1952-????

Creator:

Sylvester L. Weaver Jr.

Seasons:

1 | 38 | unknown

Release Date:

14 January 1952 (USA)

Genre:

News | Talk-Show

Plot:

Offering the latest in News, Sports, and Entertainment, "This is Today, on NBC"

Plot Keywords:

One Word Title | Morning Show | Non Fiction

Awards:

Won 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 2 wins & 17 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Tue. Dec. 1	7:00 AM	NBC
Wed. Dec. 2	7:00 AM	NBC

Cast

Natalie Morales

...

Substitute News Anchor / ... (446 episodes, 2003-2009)

Also Known As:

NBC News Today (USA) (promotional title)
The Rise and Shine Revue (USA) (working title)
The Today Show (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

USA:120 min (1952-2000) (including commercials) | USA:180 min (2000-2007) (including commercials) | USA:240 min (2007-) (including commercials)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White (1952-1965) | Color (1965-)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (1952-1986) | Stereo (1986-)

Certification:

Australia:G

Filming Locations:

NBC Studios - 10 Rockefeller Plaza, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

NBC News

Trivia:

When the show started in 1952, it was seen only in the Eastern and Central time zones, broadcasting three hours a morning but seen for only two hours in each time zone. Later, it aired live for five hours a morning, but it was seen for only two hours in each time zone. Since 1958, the show is tape-delayed for the different time zones. For many years it was a two-hour program from seven to nine ET, until NBC expanded it to three hours (7-10 A.M. Eastern Time/Pacific Time; 6-9 A.M. Central Time/Mountain Time) on October 2, 2000.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The O'Reilly Factor: (2008-04-03)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Today

Better to watch than work on!

As you can imagine my opportunities for watching are limited to my all too infrequent trips to the US. But I did for one hectic week actually help produce this show, albeit in a very minor capacity. Apart from Wimbledon coverage for HBO this was my first real experience working for American TV, and it was quite an eye opener. In July 1989 the French 'celebrated' their bicentennial of their revolution, and while pretty much every British broadcaster ignored it, the 'Yanks' came over in force.

Presumably the language barrier was thought to be too great for the French to overcome and so NBC hired a British truck, (bizarrely, staffed by Swedish technicians) and hired British operators and engineers of whom I was one. The shoot was on the banks of the Seine, opposite Notre Dame. Just a few yards down from us were ABC with their Good Morning America show, similarly equipped, and fortunately quite friendly as we had to borrow some lighting equipment from them! This was the swansong of Jane Pauley who turned out to be a real lady. Sadly she was about to be stiffed by NBC she was soon to be replaced by a younger, blonder presenter (who guested during the week with us) Shame, as Pauley was a hit with the audience, us, and the many, many, passers by who she treated with respect and courtesy. Bryant Gumbel in contrast, hid what charm he had under a steely, cold exterior, and left me at least in no doubt who was in charge of that particular production.

We also had the pleasure of the company of Willard Scott, who turned out to be a laugh a minute and defused many a tense situation with his easy going humour. Scott has even less hair than I and confused the hell out of me when I saw him later on that year in the studio, with apparently flowing locks. It was only after watching for a few days I realised that he was expected to wear a hairpiece in the studio, but excused the wig, in the blustery conditions of outside work! The real star for me was the director. He's not credited here, but is elsewhere on the IMDb, but forgive me for not naming him. Those in the business will have heard of the $500K+ a year he was making then, and know who I mean. In contrast to the almost fawningly polite style of British Television (I still remember being told on my BBC induction course in the 1970's that we were expected to hold open the doors as we walked around Television Centre, for other members of staff) Americans were direct, and utterly ruthless. One mistake and you were bawled out, two and you were cut, no argument. Remarkable then that I survived the full week although I did learn one or two new swear words. Credit though, when the show was over he walked to every person on that crew and thanked them by name - something a few British directors could learn. I still have a tape we recorded of the show with the his tailback on an extra audio track - and it still makes me blush! The British claim to have invented TV, and well we might, but the Americans have largely perfected it - and they're at their best in this genre of live News and Features. The slick one-two presenter style with throws to specialist sports/weather/news headlines presenters is now adopted by all of our domestic channels, and we know what imitation is…