Stephen Battaglio writes about Meredith Vieira: “She would come to Today with a built-in following, a strong news background and lots of empathy from viewers who are familiar with her efforts to balance career and family obligations. That audience is more important than the TV journalism purists who may sniff at her crossover activities. ‘It doesn’t matter,’ said one NBC News insider.
NBC types can say that with confidence, thanks to Hugh Downs, a Today host from 1962 to 1971. When he took the job, he was already the host of Concentration, a daytime game show on the network. It was pretty subdued compared to something like Let’s Make a Deal, but it was still a game show.”
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