Book About Greensboro Fractured Fairy Tales on DVD Lola Falana on DVD Bing Crosby Christmas TV Specials on DVD! The Goldbergs on DVD Classic Commercials on DVD 1950's Saturday Morning Shows
TV Shows on DVD/ / / / / // / Holiday Specials on DVD / / / / / / Classic Commercials

NBC's Today Show on NBC - a short history
SIXTY YEARS OF NBC'S TODAY SHOW
by Billy 'Last Nite' Ingram
PART ONE / PART TWO
(December, 2005)


NBC's Today ShowWith an estimated half a billion dollars of revenue flowing into the NBC coffers each year, the Today show is one of the network's most profitable and enduring institutions, celebrating an astonishing 60 years of outstanding broadcasts in 2012.

Many credited perky Katie Couric with keeping Today number one in the ratings during the two previous decades. When Couric's $7 million-dollar a year contract came up for renewal in 2006, she jumped ship to CBS.

Couric's replacement Meredith Viera proved to be a formitable host in her own right but she too left the show in 2011 prompting the network to once again cast about for the perfect morning face. NBC thought they found her in Ann Curry but she was yanked from the show after one year.

NBC was faced again with a difficult decision - would they fall back on an idea that worked so well in the past and once again make a chimpanzee co-host of the Today show?

It isn't that far-fetched.

When Today debuted on January 14, 1952, it was a bold experiment - a daily, network morning news-oriented television program of this scale, broadcast coast-to-coast, had never been attempted. Given the tremendous limitations of early TV technology, it's a wonder they pulled it off.

NBC vice-president Sylvester "Pat" Weaver had high hopes for the production, but only 31 affiliates and one lonely sponsor signed up initially. The whole notion of people viewing television (what little there was) in the daytime was a major hurdle for the show to overcome - watching TV during daylight hours was considered decadent behavior in 1952.

Dave Garraway on Today'Today' was originally hosted by breezy radio personality Dave Garroway, Jack Lescoulie was the sports commentator while Jim Fleming read the news and pointed to pictures on the wall that represented the top stories.

The innovative program was broadcast from the RCA Exhibition Hall, complete with the latest high-tech equipment, clocks tuned to various time zones on the walls, and a window on the street where people congregated in the mornings to be captured by the NBC cameras and wave to the folks back home.

The show's pace was slow and steady - often the program would broadcast 4 or 5 minutes of nothing but the crowd outside while music played. But then, life generally moved a bit slower in the fifties. Keep in mind, only one in ten households had a TV set in 1952; it was a genuine technical marvel that folks around the country could be looking live at people standing on a street corner in New York.

Today Show host Dave GarrawayAfter the first year, ratings and ad sales were so dismal the staff was certain that cancellation was inevitable. Critics served it up cold. TV writer Jack Gould pronounced, "In the jargon of show business, it needs a lot of work."

"Who the hell wants to know what time it is in Tokyo?" was another critic's take. One columnist sassed, "Do yourself a favor, NBC, roll over and go back to sleep."

There were internal conflicts as well. The NBC news department was resentful of the attention given to this new program, they steadfastly refused to give Today any exciting news footage.

It wasn't until a chimpanzee named J. Fred Muggs joined the cast in 1953 that the show really took hold with the public. Kids and adults alike fell in love with the furry beast cohosting the 'Today' show and ratings jumped.

Why a chimp? Because kids were initially the prime motivating force behind the sales of TV sets in the early-fifties. Howdy Doody was such a marketing phenomenon that parents flocked to television dealers so their kids wouldn't feel deprived; if the neighbors had a TV set, they had to have one, right?


Staffers balked, the newsman walked, but the chimp was hot. Frank Blair was brought in to replace newscaster Jack Fleming who quit in disgust at having to share the screen with a primate. Frank Blair stayed for the next twenty-two years as the news reader / anchor of Today.

Of course, in many ways, Today in the fifties was a different program than the current edition. Sure, the broadcast gave us the national news, weather from around the country and interviews with important guests, but there was the added bonus of comedy sketches, long stretches of time with the camera focused on inanimate objects, and the hosts reading from books.

The Today Show  hostBy 1957, the show was a solid moneymaker for NBC and J. Fred Muggs was a genuine TV superstar. He was even a panelist on NBC game shows of the time!

Videotape did not exist in the 1950s and film was too time consuming so Today aired live, broadcasting three hours a morning. However, the program was seen for only two hours.

Here's how it worked. The East Coast watched the live feed beginning at 7:00am while the West Coast joined in with the 8:00 hour (5:00 PST). The East signed off at 9:00am; that's when the cast would recreate the first hour for the West Coast viewers. If a guest did an interview in the 7:00 segment they would have to wait around 2 hours to do it all over again at 9:00 (6:00 PST).

The Today Show cast

NEXT - HISTORY OF
THE TODAY SHOW
PART TWO:

The chimp goes nuts
and attacks everyone!

And the show undergoes major changes.


THE TODAY SHOW : EARLY YEARS
TODAY SHOW : 1960s & 1970s
THE TODAY SHOW : 1970s & Beyond


Classic TV on the Internet! 


THE TODAY SHOW : EARLY YEARS
TODAY SHOW : 1960s & 1970s
THE TODAY SHOW : 1970s & Beyond


"News is what someone wants to suppress. Everything else is advertising."
- former NBC news president Reuven Frank

 

For video here:
Real Player


DID YOU KNOW:
In 1970, Today show producers approached talk show host and Jeopardy creator Merv Griffin to host the morning show.
 

TV Guide's Today Show Page, with TV Listings, Photos, Videos, Exclusive News and More.

Patrick Duffy of Dallas Interview

 

Amazon Prime - unlimited streaming
of your fave TV shows and movies!
Get your FREE 30 Day Trial!

PR4 & PR5 Pages for Advertising

 

 

Video on Demand Rent or Buy

Entertainment Collectables

 

Video Vault / Holiday Specials / Fabulous Fifties / Unseen Scenes / Game Shows / Lost Kid Shows / Movie Stars on TV / Saturday Morning Shows / Requested Forgotten TV Shows / The Super Sixties / More Modern TV Shows / The New * * Shows / 1980's Wrestling / TV Blog

TVparty is Classic TV on the internet!
Classic TV!

Television's Embarrassing Moments / Action Shows of the Sixties / TVparty Mysteries and Scandals / Variety Shows of the Seventies / The Eighties / TVafterparty / The Laugh Track / 1970's Hit Shows / Response to TVparty / Search the Site / Add Your Comments
1950's TV Shows / Fess Parker & Davy Crockett / First Sitcom Couple To Share A Bed / Jack Benny Program / Highway Patrol / Betty Hutton Show / 1952 Olympics Telethon / Amos 'n' Andy / Little Rascals & Our Gang / Howdy Doody / The First Batman Movie From 1943 / Who Was the REAL Aunt Jemima? / Freedomland USA / John Wayne Won Lassie in a Poker Game! / Lucy's Sitcom Before I Love Lucy / The Lone Ranger / It's Always Jan / 1950s Shows I NEED To See / Jack Lemmon & Billy Wilder on Marilyn Monroe / So This Is Hollywood / Audrey Meadows Refused To Do This For Jackie Gleason / When Jerry Lewis Ceased To Be Funny / The Plainclothesman / Buck Rogers in the 25th Century / Remembering Tony Dow / First Solo Female Series / Kuda Bux / Capt. Allen Swift - NYC Local Popeye Shows / Was the 1959 Santa Claus Movie Too Christian?!? / When Judy Garland's Daughters First Saw The Wizard of Oz / TV During WWII / Top Ten TV Shows 1950s / Jack Larson's Suprising Life As Superman's Jimmy Olsen in the 1950s / Judy Garland's 2nd TV Special and Las Vegas Debut / Early Network News Broadcasts / Lost Desilu Sitcom: Those Whiting Girls / Lost Superboy Pilot / The Shadow 1954 Pilot / KTLA News / / Kid Show Pioneer Herb Sheldon / Aline Saarinen / Tribute to Sandy Becker / The Adventures of Dr. Fu Manchu / O.Henry Playhouse / Capt. Allen Swift / NYC's First Bozo Bill Britten / The Magical Land of Alakazam! / 1950s and 60s Bloopers / TV's First Working Woman / Cannonball - 1950s Trucking Drama / Sonny Fox Kid Shows / Lauren Bacall on Bette Davis / Sunset Boulevard Explained / Abbott & Costello TV Show / The Three Stooges: The Where They Were / The First 'Black' Show - Beulah / Women on TV in the 1950s / The Today Show / Hey Jeannie / The Jeannie Carson Show / TV's First Educator Paul Tripp / Ernie Kovacs / Soap Opera Miss Susan / Adventures of Superman Lost Episode / Bette Davis vs Ronald Reagan / Captain Z-Ro / Obscure Actress Mary Castle / Serious 1950s TV shows / Remembering David Susskind / TV's First Rerun Series / The Ken Murray Budweiser Show / Saturday Morning Serials / Two Variety Shows of the Fifties / Game Shows of the Fifties /1950's TV Wrestling / Greensboro's Soda Pop History / Mr. Adams and Eve / TV's First Star / Oh Susanna! the Gale Storm Show / Bob Hastings / TV's First Star / History of the Laugh Track / The First Interactive Video Game / Designing Winky-Dink / Buffalo Bob Smith / The McKimson Brothers & Animation / Interview with a Show Business Legend / The Soundies / Snaders Telescriptions / Steve Allen Interviewed / Racket Squad / December Bride / The Big Show / Beverly Garland & Decoy / Richard Crenna & The Real McCoys / Roger Muir / Noel Coward's 1955 TV Special / Jon Provost Interview / 1950's TV Shows on DVD / Oh Susanna! The Gale Storm Show / 1950's Old Time TV Thanksgiving / Outrageous 1950's Commercial! / The Real Superman? / Mickey Mouse Club's Cheryl / Gale Storm / Captain Allen Swift / NYC's St. Patrick's Day Parade Telecasts / Julie London / The Goldbergs / 1950's Female Singers / The Dead End Kids / Bowery Boys / Fred Allen / Ed Wynn / Mr. Belvedere Movies / Art Linkletter / The Bickersons / Marty & Live TV / George Gobel & Red Buttons / Barbara Billingsley / Billy Gray Interview / Abbott & Costello Show / The Honeymooners / Three Stooges' Joe Besser / Whirlybirds / Burns & Allen Show
Classic TV Commercials / 1950's TV / 1960's TV / 1970's TV / Groucho vs William F Buckley / / TV Games / Honey Boo Boo / Lucy Shows / John Wayne / Gene Roddenberry / Big Blue Marble / Monty Hall / Carrascolendas / Mr. Dressup / Major Mudd / Chief Halftown / What's In Oprah's Purse? / Baby Daphne / Sheriff John / North Carolina Actors / Winchell & Mahoney / Fireball X-L5 / Mr. Wizard / Captain Noah / Thanksgiving Day Specials / Disney's First Christmas Special / Saturday Morning Cartoons / The Magic Garden / Amahl & the Night Visitors / Holiday Toy Commercials / Lucy & Desi's Last Christmas Show / Joey Heatherton / Fat Albert / The Virginian / Bewitched / Death of John Wayne / 1974 Saturday Mornings / Chuck McCann / Rudolph Collectables / Shrimpenstein / Local Popeye Shows / New Treasure Hunt / Star Wars / KISS / Lancelot Link / Saturday Morning Cartoons / Wonder Woman / Classic Comic Books / Andy Griffith / Cher / TV Shows on DVD / Outtakes & Bloopers / 1967 TV Shows / Romper Room / Captain Kangaroo / Chicago Local Kiddie Shows / Boston Local TV / Philly Local TV / NYC Local Kid Shows / Electric Company / Bette Davis / Judy Garland / Christmas Specials / Redd Foxx / Good Times / Sitcom Houses / What's Happening! / Winky Dink & You / Sonny & Cher / Smothers Brothers / Soupy Sales / The Carpenters / Route 66 / Bozo / The Carpenters Christmas Specials / Local Kid Shows / Death of TV's Superman / Wonderama / Sesame Street / Bob Hope Specials / Little Rascals / Gay Icon T-Shirts / Alex Toth Book / TV Terrorists / Irwin Allen / The Untouchables / Carol Burnett Show / Batman TV Show / Green Hornet / Today Show History / Our Gang / Doris Day Show / 1970's Commercials For Women / Bill Cosby in the 1970s / The Golddiggers / Lola Falana / 1970s TV Shows / David Bowie on TV / Hudson Brothers / Jackie Gleason / Hollywood Squares / Match Game / Bob Keeshan / Gumby / The Flip Wilson Show / Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour / The Bobby Darin Show / The Richard Pryor Show / George Burns / Lucy's Lost Christmas Special / Classic Christmas Toy Commercials / Cricket On The Hearth / 1950's Holiday Shows / Amahl and the Night Visitors / A Christmas Carol on TV / The Yule Log / Celebrity Commercials / Rudolph / Movie Posters & More!
He Man on DVD Everything
you're looking
for is right here:


Save money!
Carol Burnett Show on DVD King Family Christmas on DVD “Amazing  “The Dungeons & Dragons on DVD
Looking for classic TV DVDs?/See below:
TV Commercials on DVD Wrestling DVDs Classic TV Books

Save money!