This Week in Television History: January 2012 PART II

Listen to me on me on TV CONFIDENTIAL:

Realms of Music
WROM
Wednesday 9/7
9pm ET, 6pm PT

Share-a-Vision Radio
KSAV.org
Friday 9/9
7pm ET, 4pm PT
10pm ET, 7pm PT

KWDJ 1360-AM
Ridgecrest, Calif.
Saturday 9/10
Following Dodgers baseball

InternetVoicesRadio.com
Tuesday 9/13
11:05pm ET, 8:05pm PT

As always, the further we go back in Hollywood history, the morethat fact and legend become intertwined. It's hard to say where the truthreally lies.

 

January14, 1952

Todaypremieres on NBC. 

It was thebrainchild of Pat Weaver, who was then vice-president of NBC. Weaver was president of the company from 1953 to1955, during which time Today's late-night companion The Tonight Show premiered. In pre-production, the show's proposed title was TheRise and Shine Revue. Today was the first show of its genre when it signed on withoriginal host Dave Garroway. The show blended national news headlines, in-depthinterviews with newsmakers, lifestyle features, other light news and gimmicks(including the presence of the chimpanzee J. Fred Muggsas the show's mascot during the early years), and local station news updates. Today'sfemale anchors were once called "Today girls." Other hosts over theyears have included John Chancellor, Hugh Downs, Florence Henderson, BarbaraWalters, Tom Brokaw, Bryant Gumbel, Jane Pauley, and Katie Couric. Current cast includes Matt Lauerand Ann Curry, with weatherman Al Roker,news anchor Natalie Morales.

To quote the BicentennialMinute, "And that's the way it was". 

Stay Tuned 

Tony Figueroa