Meredith Vieira’s Show Will Have a Band

By Chris Ariens 

MVieiraMeredith Vieira talks with THR about why, after several years of several offers, she decided now is the right time to host a daytime talk show.

“I’m not trying to beat people over the head with my views or be polemic or insipid,” says Vieira. “I just want people to feel like they want to spend an hour at Meredith’s home.”

She will have a sidekick, and there will be a band. “[T]hat’s long been one of my fantasies: Whenever I had a bad day, I wanted to go home and open the door and have a band playing. I thought that would be cool. If I can’t have it at my real house, I may as well do it here.”

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As for her “Today” show predecessor’s try at a talk show:

What do you think went wrong with Katie Couric’s talk show?

I can’t really speak to what happened. I don’t know. All I know is that it’s really important, I think, to have a cohesive staff. And I know that’s not always easy to do, but that’s why I think we’re being so meticulous about it.

In its three years on the air, Couric’s show had several executive producers, including Jeff Zucker, Michael Bass, Kathy Samuels, Michael Morrison, Ethan Nelson and Rachel Miskoweic (some working together as co-EPs). Vieira’s show launches this fall and is already sold in 85% of the country, including on the 10 NBC-owned stations.

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