" The Today Show"

A Risky Morning Show.

On 14 January 1952, at 7:00 A.M., NBC premiered "The Today Show." A risky offering in the until-then-barren early-morning television hours, "Today" faced problems that other television programs did not face. First, "Today" faced an audience that was more concerned with preparing for work or school than watching a television show. NBC executive Pat Weaver, who proposed the show to the network, outlined in a planning memo what the show hoped to accomplish:

We are not trying to get people to rise earlier to see the show, nor to stay at home and be late.… We therefore must repeat key information … all important hunks or points should be made in each of the two hours … We are not trying to get a 10 rating for two hours, but we are trying to get sixty per cent of all sets to turn on the show, with time from the viewers varying between a fast two-minute look at the time and the headline...

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