With November’s ratings sweeps period approaching, the network morning shows are preparing special programming to take advantage of the event.
“CBS This Morning” is launching an interactive book club for viewers that will culminate next month. The initiative, dubbed, “CBS This Morning Reads,” is kicking off with a re-release of Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin, published by CBS sister company Simon & Schuster. Future books will come from other publishers, so while it will be debuting during sweeps, it is not a sweeps-only programming stunt.
The book club will have excerpts, reading guides and interactive features at CBSThisMorning.com, culminating with a live interview with Goodwin on “CTM” Thursday, November 15.
NBC’s “Today” is planning a series called “Coming to America Today,” which will culminate on Friday, November 16 as 30 people will be sworn-in as U.S. citizens live on the program in Rockefeller Center. The series will profile the journeys of four people who want to become U.S. citizens.
More on both initiatives, after the jump.
CBS:
“CBS THIS MORNING” LAUNCHES “CBS THIS MORNING READS,” AN ONLINE READING INITIATIVE THAT WILL GIVE VIEWERS ADDITIONAL ACCESS TO THEIR FAVORITE AUTHORS
“TEAM OF RIVALS: THE POLITICAL GENIUS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN” BY PULITZER PRIZE WINNER DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN IS THE FIRST BOOK SELECTION
CBS THIS MORNING has launched CBS THIS MORNING READS, a new online venture that will virtually connect and engage CBS THIS MORNING viewers with their favorite authors. The first featured selection will be “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln” by historian and Pulitzer Prize winner Doris Kearns Goodwin, which is published by Simon & Schuster, a subsidiary of CBS.
CBS THIS MORNING READS will give CBS THIS MORNING viewers additional access to their favorite writers over the course of a month, culminating with an on-air interview with the author. While each book is featured, viewers can read, connect and discuss the work at cbsthismorning.com. As it expands, the CBS THIS MORNING READS franchise may incorporate additional publishers.
“Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln” spent 27 weeks atop the New York Times bestseller list when it was released in October 2005. The book is being rereleased today, Oct. 16 as a tie-in to Steven Spielberg’s theatrical film “Lincoln” which is based, in part, on the book and stars Academy Award winner Daniel Day-Lewis. The movie premieres on Friday, Nov. 16.
Goodwin will join CBS THIS MORNING co-hosts Charlie Rose, Norah O’Donnell and Gayle King for a live interview Thursday, Nov. 15 to discuss the rerelease of her book, her role in the film and the CBS THIS MORNING READS program. Each week leading up to Goodwin’s interview, excerpts, web extras, reading guides and interactive features will be released on cbsthismorning.com.
For more information on CBS THIS MORNING READS, please click here.
To download the first chapter from Simon & Schuster, please click here.
Chris Licht is Vice President of Programming, CBS News, and Executive Producer of CBS THIS MORNING.
NBC:
NBC’S ‘TODAY’ PRESENTS A TELEVISION FIRST
‘COMING TO AMERICA TODAY’
Series Begins Monday, November 12 and Features the First Live Broadcast of A U.S. Naturalization Ceremony on Morning Television
NEW YORK – October 16, 2012 – – NBC’s “Today” presents an historic television event with a new series, “Coming to America Today.” Beginning Monday, November 12, “Today” will highlight the journeys of four people trying to become American citizens. The series culminates Friday, November 16 with an unprecedented live broadcast of a U.S. naturalization process, and viewers around the country can watch as the candidates are sworn in as American citizens.
During the week of November 12, “Today” will profile four American citizen candidates detailing their personal stories and examining why they want to become citizens. “Today” will follow each of them individually through the process of becoming American. On Friday, November 16, they will be joined by 26 additional candidates on Rockefeller Plaza, and all 30 will be sworn-in live on “Today.” Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker and Natalie Morales will be the first to congratulate them, and there will be a surprise performance of the Star Spangled Banner.
Jim Bell is the executive producer of “Today” (Mon.-Fri., 7-11am. ET).