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{\an8}- This is "Today."
- In the '90s...

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{\an8}-Good morning, America!

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00:00:09,927 --> 00:00:11,613
{\an8}-...Americans wake up to a war

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{\an8}being fought for
their hearts and minds.

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{\an8}-People ID the '90s as one
of the fiercest times

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in morning television
ratings wars.

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-TV networks battle over
morning show treasure.

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-One of the network
morning shows brings in

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about $500 million a year.

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That is an enormous
amount of money.

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-Heroes will rise.

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-And I still can't decide
whether I'm Katherine or Katie.

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-Others will fall.

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-Good Morning, America.
I'm Joan Lunden.

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-I remember being very upset
when I learned

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that "Good Morning America"
was going to replace Joan Lunden

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with Diane Sawyer.

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-The onscreen fun and games

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{\an8}makes a hyper-competitive
world of pirates...

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-"I fully am aware that
a tornado came to your town

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and killed everyone
in your family,

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but it's so important
that you come on our show."

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- and predators.

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-Where in the world
is Matt Lauer?

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-[ Laughs ]

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-Yeah, I think it left
a bad taste

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in a lot of people's mouths.

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No question.

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{\an8}♪♪

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<i>[ Dial-up modems screeching ]</i>

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{\an8}♪♪

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{\an8}-For decades, America starts
its day with two things...

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Coffee...

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- And good morning, everyone.
- And morning TV news.

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-Amidst all that, uh...

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- Furniture.
- Furniture.

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-By the late '80s,
these programs

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will have the largest audiences
and generate

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the most profits
of any show on network TV.

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-This is the new day we've been
talking about for so long.

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-Thank you, darling.
I appreciate it.

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Some of us already
have worked the weekend.

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-But behind the happy talk is a
serious, cutthroat competition.

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-Oh, isn't that nice?

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{\an8}-At stake... a billion dollars
in annual ad revenue.

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[ Crowd cheering ]
That's billion with a "B."

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- "Good Morning America"
is brought to you by

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Outback Steakhouse.

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-Morning shows are
the cash cow of networks.

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-With a sizable premium paid
for being number one.

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-Uh-oh. Really hot, huh?

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-Whether it's
"Good Morning America"

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or the "Today" show, it brings
in about $500 million a year.

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That is an enormous
amount of money.

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{\an8}And you're gonna fight
tooth and nail to be number one.

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{\an8}-This is opening day,
today on NBC.

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{\an8}-As these shows battle
to attract viewers,

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{\an8}it will make pawns out
of the guests and their hosts...

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{\an8}-Well, it seems like every day,
it gets worse and worse.

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- with the networks
pulling out all the stops

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in pursuit of the top spot.

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-Let's put it this way...
It's war.

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And however you're gonna do it,
you're gonna do it.

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-Here's the news and weather
now from Lew Wood. Lew?

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-But morning TV
wasn't always a battlefield.

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Up until the mid-'80s,

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the two shows maintained
a peaceful co-existence,

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each occupying its own territory
in the cultural landscape.

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- "Today" show was the first
out of the gate,

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and they kind of set the format
for morning news.

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-The "Today" show is
the granddaddy of all

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morning news programs.

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NBC launched it in 1952.

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-Hosted by Dave Garroway
and his sidekick,

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chimpanzee J. Fred Muggs,
"Today" spends 25 years

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as America's go-to
for early-morning information.

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-There is today in capsule form,
just about this big,

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so as you leave the house,
you know where you are

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and what's gonna happen to it.

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-It was an accidental experiment

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that ended up being
very popular.

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It was just a camera turned on
live at 7:00 in the morning.

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And the idea was to just
tell the people

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what the stories
of the news was.

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-From the '50s through the '70s,

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the "Today" show mirrors back
changes in American society,

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with Barbara Walters
evolving from a "Today" girl

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reporting from
the Playboy Club...

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-I enjoyed seeing you
as a bunny.

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- Thank you.
- We have a station break now.

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And thank you, Barbara Walters.
- Thank you.

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- to the first woman
to co-host a morning show.

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- for the details of a story
that many of us are

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still having trouble believing
actually occurred.

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{\an8}-Walters helps boost the "Today"
show's appeal to the people

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making up the majority
of morning-show viewers.

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-The homemaker or the woman who,
if you're not a homemaker,

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she certainly has a big say
in how the family's being run.

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{\an8}That's the viewer, they kind of
think about when they are

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{\an8}coming up with all their
different permutations

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{\an8}of news, programming,
and strategy.

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- "Today" 's status as the sole
morning news show ends in 1975,

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when another network climbs
into the ring.

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-ABC wants to get into
the morning game itself,

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sees the "Today" show has been
on the air for 20 years.

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You know, "Why don't we
have one of these?

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And ABC decides to start
trying something else.

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-Monday, in this hour...

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Jonathan Winters,
our critic on the loose,

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Rona Barrett's
"Hollywood Worldwide,"

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and in our family-living
feature, Dr. Vivienne Tenney...

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-Turning on "Good Morning
America," or "GMA,"

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viewers were immediately struck
by how different it looked.

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-It was sit in the living room
on a couch,

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and it was less about
a news show,

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more about a show
in the morning.

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-When "Good Morning America"
started in the 1970s,

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It turned out to be a successful
hit because what it did

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is it took on the "Today" show
by doing something different,

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by being more folksy,
by being more America.

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I'm Albert Lewitinn,
and in the mid-'90s,

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{\an8}I was a snot-nosed producer
who thought he knew everything.

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{\an8}So I went into morning TV.

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-I guess if you really want
to get to the heart of a town,

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you'll let the people who live
here tell the story themselves.

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-It's all about mom and pop
and their fun little shop

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downtown in Springfield,
and, like, isn't this great?

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And that was the idea.
"I'm so-and-so.

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Good Morning, America."

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-Hi, I'm Amy Redman
from Gloucester.

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-I'm Gladys Fiddle
from Rockport.

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-Good morning, America!

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- ♪ Scooby-doo-bee-doo-bee ♪
- Or, or...

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-Where today is produced
by NBC News,

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GMA is part of
ABC's Entertainment division,

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the same folks making
"The Love Boat"

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and "Fantasy Island."

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But like a dog and their owner,
"GMA" and "Today"

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soon start to resemble each
other and, by the mid-'80s,

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share more similarities
and differences.

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-Everybody had to
kind of figure out,

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"How do we maybe do it better

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or maybe just do it
differently?"

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{\an8}I'm Jane Robelot,
and in the '90s,

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{\an8}I was waking up
when you were going to bed.

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-By the late '80s,
CBS will join the fray

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with their own morning show
called "This Morning."

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00:06:17,460 --> 00:06:19,438
But the self-titled
Tiffany Network,

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once home to Edward R. Murrow
and Walter Cronkite,

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will approach morning news
quite differently

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than NBC and ABC.

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-CBS, at the time,
in the '70s and '80s

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was an older audience,
really wasn't into like,

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the entertainment stuff
that the morning shows did.

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-CBS was hard news
all the way through,

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but with news-oriented
interviews.

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- that says that housing
is not the problem

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with the homeless,

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but that they are disabled
by severe mental illness.

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-It was really slow, and while
the "Today" show and "GMA"

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were fighting it, CBS was like,
"Eh, we're on the air."

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Like, "You're lucky we're here."
Like, "We're here."

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-What do you.
Think this means?

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00:07:03,840 --> 00:07:05,192
-Morning, Harry.

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-It means CBS's commitment
to hard news

166
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will put the network firmly
in third place for, well, ever.

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- professionally.

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-Meanwhile, with the sets
on "GMA" and "Today"

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looking more and more alike,

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what sets the shows apart
are the hosts.

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-He's going to take a walk
on a California beach

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with a "Sports Illustrated"
swimsuit cover girl.

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-I didn't get to go.

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-Yeah, we knew better than
to send to you.

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Also, Whoopi Goldberg.

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-People watch morning television
because of the host.

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They either feel comfortable
with that personality,

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they like them, or they don't.

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-You're inviting somebody
into your home

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when you haven't
really started your day yet,

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you've still got on
your pajamas,

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you're just kind of thinking
about what's ahead,

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and you really want somebody
who's going to be

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warm and credible

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and take you gently
through this morning.

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{\an8}-In 1987, after a decade
of finishing behind "Today,"

187
00:08:02,857 --> 00:08:05,002
"GMA" trades in David Hartman

188
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for a young White House
correspondent.

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00:08:06,903 --> 00:08:09,924
-Charlie Gibson joins us
to continue our daily adventure.

190
00:08:09,948 --> 00:08:11,759
-Adventure. [ Laughs ]

191
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-Gibson will work alongside

192
00:08:13,410 --> 00:08:15,805
the show's veteran co-host,
Joan Lunden.

193
00:08:15,829 --> 00:08:18,724
And together, they will go
head-to-head against "Today" 's

194
00:08:18,748 --> 00:08:22,436
power couple...
Bryant Gumbel and Jane Pauley.

195
00:08:22,460 --> 00:08:24,397
-When Jane Pauley was the host
of the "Today" show,

196
00:08:24,421 --> 00:08:26,482
she was America's girl.

197
00:08:26,506 --> 00:08:28,651
America's girl.

198
00:08:28,675 --> 00:08:32,321
Jane Pauley, Bryant Gumbel...
Fantastic team.

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00:08:32,345 --> 00:08:35,032
Bryant Gumbel
was a fantastic host.

200
00:08:35,056 --> 00:08:36,742
-Bryant Gumbel is a master
of the form.

201
00:08:36,766 --> 00:08:38,536
-You, I saw New Year's Day.
Good seeing you.

202
00:08:38,560 --> 00:08:40,705
-What a way to start the year,
with you. That was terrific.

203
00:08:40,729 --> 00:08:42,081
-Well, thank you, sir.

204
00:08:42,105 --> 00:08:44,542
-He is also a dominating
alpha male who,

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00:08:44,566 --> 00:08:47,628
when first hired, demands
to be named head anchor,

206
00:08:47,652 --> 00:08:50,923
despite Jane Pauley having
already been co-hosting the show

207
00:08:50,947 --> 00:08:52,550
for six years.

208
00:08:52,574 --> 00:08:55,010
-The budget negotiations
and the game of Beat the Clock

209
00:08:55,034 --> 00:08:56,846
that's being played
in Washington

210
00:08:56,870 --> 00:08:58,597
is our top story
of this morning.

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00:08:58,621 --> 00:09:00,182
John Palmer is gonna give us
an update in just a moment.

212
00:09:00,206 --> 00:09:01,475
-He was a great interviewer,

213
00:09:01,499 --> 00:09:03,060
always very well-studied
on everything,

214
00:09:03,084 --> 00:09:05,771
ready to go, great improv,
right down to the second.

215
00:09:05,795 --> 00:09:08,607
-The battle for morning TV
supremacy is on

216
00:09:08,631 --> 00:09:11,027
with both shows featuring
a male anchor

217
00:09:11,051 --> 00:09:13,154
paired up with
a female co-anchor

218
00:09:13,178 --> 00:09:16,991
who is smart, warm,
beautiful, and blonde.

219
00:09:17,015 --> 00:09:18,659
-It's a certain look
that all of a sudden

220
00:09:18,683 --> 00:09:20,286
becomes <i>the </i>look, the archetype.

221
00:09:20,310 --> 00:09:22,997
It's a family atmosphere.

222
00:09:23,021 --> 00:09:25,458
It's fun.

223
00:09:25,482 --> 00:09:28,711
-It felt very much
like a family.

224
00:09:28,735 --> 00:09:31,505
That's how
the show was structured.

225
00:09:31,529 --> 00:09:33,049
{\an8}I'm Rita Barry-Corke.

226
00:09:33,073 --> 00:09:35,259
{\an8}When I went to work
at "Good Morning America,"

227
00:09:35,283 --> 00:09:38,804
{\an8}the hosts were Charlie Gibson
and Joan Lunden,

228
00:09:38,828 --> 00:09:41,140
{\an8}the dynamic duo
of morning television.

229
00:09:41,164 --> 00:09:42,641
-We will look back
at "Sergeant Pepper's

230
00:09:42,665 --> 00:09:44,018
Lonely Hearts Club Band"

231
00:09:44,042 --> 00:09:46,103
two decades later,
if you can believe that.

232
00:09:46,127 --> 00:09:47,897
- Got a free album here?
- No, there's nothing in it.

233
00:09:47,921 --> 00:09:49,815
See this? [Laughs]
Just a prop.

234
00:09:49,839 --> 00:09:51,275
-That's the way it works
in television.

235
00:09:51,299 --> 00:09:53,319
-How could you not fall
in love with them?

236
00:09:53,343 --> 00:09:57,239
People did. Charlie was always
such a total gentleman.

237
00:09:57,263 --> 00:10:00,326
And Joan... she was your sister,

238
00:10:00,350 --> 00:10:04,246
your mother,
your girlfriend, your daughter.

239
00:10:04,270 --> 00:10:06,123
And that formula worked.

240
00:10:06,147 --> 00:10:10,002
You know, we took over in the
first slot for quite some time.

241
00:10:10,026 --> 00:10:11,754
-With weatherman
Spencer Christian,

242
00:10:11,778 --> 00:10:14,131
Charlie and Joan's
onscreen chemistry

243
00:10:14,155 --> 00:10:17,301
leaves "Today" show executives
in unfamiliar territory...

244
00:10:17,325 --> 00:10:18,969
Second place,

245
00:10:18,993 --> 00:10:22,681
and with the gap widening
between their show and "GMA."

246
00:10:22,705 --> 00:10:24,350
-Over at "Today,"
there's some concern.

247
00:10:24,374 --> 00:10:26,227
"What's going on here?
Why is this happening?"

248
00:10:26,251 --> 00:10:28,270
And producers asked
Bryant Gumbel,

249
00:10:28,294 --> 00:10:31,607
then the kind of lead anchor,
to offer his own diagnosis

250
00:10:31,631 --> 00:10:33,317
of what's going on
with the show.

251
00:10:33,341 --> 00:10:34,735
He lets loose.

252
00:10:34,759 --> 00:10:36,737
He says that Willard Scott,
the weather man,

253
00:10:36,761 --> 00:10:38,280
the guy who is always, you know,

254
00:10:38,304 --> 00:10:40,407
honoring people
who are turning 100 years old,

255
00:10:40,431 --> 00:10:41,951
is dumbing down the show
and ruining it.

256
00:10:41,975 --> 00:10:43,577
-Aren't they fantastic?

257
00:10:43,601 --> 00:10:45,871
These are a special breed
of onions... a cheese onion.

258
00:10:45,895 --> 00:10:47,998
-He thinks Gene Shalit
is causing problems.

259
00:10:48,022 --> 00:10:50,459
He's very blunt about
what he thinks the problems are.

260
00:10:50,483 --> 00:10:52,837
- No New Year's resolutions?
- Yeah, to be a good boy.

261
00:10:52,861 --> 00:10:54,588
I always said once
I get away from you.

262
00:10:54,612 --> 00:10:56,298
-You got your problems.

263
00:10:56,322 --> 00:10:58,884
-Suddenly, the private
dysfunction at the "Today" show

264
00:10:58,908 --> 00:11:02,721
goes public when someone leaks
Gumbel's memo to the press.

265
00:11:02,745 --> 00:11:04,640
-Gumbel was critical
of his colleagues,

266
00:11:04,664 --> 00:11:06,350
including weatherman
Willard Scott.

267
00:11:06,374 --> 00:11:07,852
-The audience loves the family,

268
00:11:07,876 --> 00:11:10,020
and now, all of a sudden,
the family is squabbling.

269
00:11:10,044 --> 00:11:11,564
Dad doesn't like the weatherman.

270
00:11:11,588 --> 00:11:14,525
Dad doesn't like what his
assignment is every day.

271
00:11:14,549 --> 00:11:17,528
This creates the perception
that the family is fighting.

272
00:11:17,552 --> 00:11:19,238
-Gumbel tried to reassure
his viewers

273
00:11:19,262 --> 00:11:21,907
that the "Today" staff
is a happy family.

274
00:11:21,931 --> 00:11:24,702
-But rest assured that our
"Today" family is intact

275
00:11:24,726 --> 00:11:27,496
and still smiling,
albeit through some pain.

276
00:11:27,520 --> 00:11:28,956
We'll still be here

277
00:11:28,980 --> 00:11:31,250
long after the recent
headlines are forgotten.

278
00:11:31,274 --> 00:11:33,711
Enough said.

279
00:11:33,735 --> 00:11:35,921
-But not everyone
will still be there.

280
00:11:35,945 --> 00:11:38,507
With its morning show
still trailing "GMA,"

281
00:11:38,531 --> 00:11:40,217
NBC decides to break up

282
00:11:40,241 --> 00:11:43,637
the "Today" family
by engineering a divorce.

283
00:11:43,661 --> 00:11:45,806
-All of a sudden,
they bring in Deborah Norville

284
00:11:45,830 --> 00:11:48,017
to kind of bring us a new
presence to the show.

285
00:11:48,041 --> 00:11:49,435
And this creates the perception

286
00:11:49,459 --> 00:11:50,895
that they're trying to get
Mom off the show,

287
00:11:50,919 --> 00:11:52,771
that Jane Pauley is being
pushed off by executives

288
00:11:52,795 --> 00:11:54,565
and by Bryant Gumbel.

289
00:11:54,589 --> 00:11:57,860
-You're a tough act to repeat,
and I'm not even gonna try.

290
00:11:57,884 --> 00:12:00,613
-And it creates bad perception
on the program.

291
00:12:00,637 --> 00:12:02,448
And viewers don't like that.

292
00:12:02,472 --> 00:12:04,366
-There is evidence
that women journalists

293
00:12:04,390 --> 00:12:06,785
are now getting fairer
treatment, but are they given

294
00:12:06,809 --> 00:12:09,163
the same credibility
as their male counterparts?

295
00:12:09,187 --> 00:12:10,497
-Of course not.

296
00:12:10,521 --> 00:12:12,207
We haven't come to a point

297
00:12:12,231 --> 00:12:15,669
where two women can be treated
in a professional context

298
00:12:15,693 --> 00:12:17,630
without the word "jealousy"
coming up.

299
00:12:17,654 --> 00:12:19,798
"Jealousy" is
a gender-specific word.

300
00:12:19,822 --> 00:12:21,258
-It's hard to recover from that

301
00:12:21,282 --> 00:12:23,052
when people already feel
you put the knife in.

302
00:12:23,076 --> 00:12:24,803
Whether this is all true or not,

303
00:12:24,827 --> 00:12:27,723
Jane was a beloved presence
there before Bryant Gumbel,

304
00:12:27,747 --> 00:12:29,183
and viewers
just could not take that,

305
00:12:29,207 --> 00:12:30,935
and they would not accept her.

306
00:12:30,959 --> 00:12:32,770
- You're feeling better, I trust?
- I'm over the weather today.

307
00:12:32,794 --> 00:12:35,064
Since I've been <i>under </i>the
weather now for a couple days.

308
00:12:35,088 --> 00:12:37,566
-As a war continues to simmer
at "Today,"

309
00:12:37,590 --> 00:12:40,569
another boils over
on TV screens across America.

310
00:12:40,593 --> 00:12:43,030
{\an8}-Iraqis also claim
to have downed 33 missiles

311
00:12:43,054 --> 00:12:44,782
{\an8}like these Tomahawks
on the battleship...

312
00:12:44,806 --> 00:12:48,160
-During the Gulf War,
CNN's 24-hour news cycle

313
00:12:48,184 --> 00:12:50,246
makes it the home
for news junkies

314
00:12:50,270 --> 00:12:52,498
looking to keep up
on the fighting.

315
00:12:52,522 --> 00:12:55,250
Morning shows can't compete,
so they begin to offer

316
00:12:55,274 --> 00:12:59,004
an alternative to CNN's
round-the-clock Iraq coverage.

317
00:12:59,028 --> 00:13:02,341
-Don't be afraid.
Keep with us! [ Laughs ]

318
00:13:02,365 --> 00:13:04,176
-The advent of cable news
in the '90s

319
00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:08,305
was an absolute tectonic shift

320
00:13:08,329 --> 00:13:10,307
in how morning shows
got produced,

321
00:13:10,331 --> 00:13:12,268
because they saw
the news cycle was changing.

322
00:13:12,292 --> 00:13:13,852
Networks got smart.

323
00:13:13,876 --> 00:13:16,438
They realized that morning TV
was entertainment,

324
00:13:16,462 --> 00:13:19,775
and so they adapted
their programs

325
00:13:19,799 --> 00:13:21,485
to make it more entertainment.

326
00:13:21,509 --> 00:13:24,822
-ABC's "Good Morning America"
becomes a surreal oasis

327
00:13:24,846 --> 00:13:26,365
of positive vibes.

328
00:13:26,389 --> 00:13:28,367
-The Army is out scouting
for chocolate

329
00:13:28,391 --> 00:13:30,119
that melts in the mouth,
not in the sand.

330
00:13:30,143 --> 00:13:32,371
That is to say, chocolate bars
that can survive

331
00:13:32,395 --> 00:13:34,873
the 100-plus-degree heat
of Saudi Arabia.

332
00:13:34,897 --> 00:13:37,418
-Sample you just ate came out
of 140 degrees

333
00:13:37,442 --> 00:13:38,877
before you arrived here.

334
00:13:38,901 --> 00:13:40,170
-It's good.

335
00:13:40,194 --> 00:13:42,006
-While Life Is Sweet at "GMA,"

336
00:13:42,030 --> 00:13:44,717
"Today" quickly sours
on its newest co-host.

337
00:13:44,741 --> 00:13:47,553
- "Today" show is sinking,
and the hot rumor

338
00:13:47,577 --> 00:13:50,431
is that they may
drop anchor again.

339
00:13:50,455 --> 00:13:53,559
-In February 1991,
a pregnant Deborah Norville

340
00:13:53,583 --> 00:13:55,394
takes a break from the show.

341
00:13:55,418 --> 00:13:59,690
Her fill-in is a plucky reporter
who got her start in cable news

342
00:13:59,714 --> 00:14:02,818
and who will go on to become
one of the most celebrated hosts

343
00:14:02,842 --> 00:14:04,218
in morning TV history.

344
00:14:08,014 --> 00:14:09,241
{\an8}-Today, Friday,
February 22, 1991.

345
00:14:09,265 --> 00:14:10,659
{\an8}-By the start of the '90s,

346
00:14:10,683 --> 00:14:12,995
{\an8}morning television
is an American staple.

347
00:14:13,019 --> 00:14:16,165
{\an8}But for those who make it,
it comes at a cost.

348
00:14:16,189 --> 00:14:19,209
{\an8}-The only thing wrong
with morning TV

349
00:14:19,233 --> 00:14:22,171
{\an8}is that it happens
in the morning.

350
00:14:22,195 --> 00:14:23,756
Welcome to "This Morning."
I'm Jane Robillard.

351
00:14:23,780 --> 00:14:25,049
-And I'm Jose Diaz-Balart.

352
00:14:25,073 --> 00:14:27,092
It is Friday,
the 23rd of August.

353
00:14:27,116 --> 00:14:29,553
-You can't wait to find out
about that alien life form.

354
00:14:29,577 --> 00:14:31,055
-I've met a few of them,
I think.

355
00:14:31,079 --> 00:14:33,015
-It was brutal.

356
00:14:33,039 --> 00:14:35,893
I was suddenly waking up
at the time of day

357
00:14:35,917 --> 00:14:38,437
that I used to
actually go to sleep.

358
00:14:38,461 --> 00:14:40,439
-For anyone working
in morning TV,

359
00:14:40,463 --> 00:14:45,277
the early hours are the price
you have to pay to stay on top.

360
00:14:45,301 --> 00:14:47,613
-I got up at 4:00,

361
00:14:47,637 --> 00:14:52,242
and I had to be
on the set every day at 5:15.

362
00:14:52,266 --> 00:14:55,287
{\an8}I'm Gary Stein, and in the '90s,

363
00:14:55,311 --> 00:14:57,331
{\an8}I was a producer
of "Good Morning America".

364
00:14:57,355 --> 00:14:59,500
{\an8}And I lead with that
no matter where I am.

365
00:14:59,524 --> 00:15:02,628
That's the first thing I say.

366
00:15:02,652 --> 00:15:06,173
I never thought, when the alarm
went off, that it was for me.

367
00:15:06,197 --> 00:15:07,883
Not in seven years.

368
00:15:07,907 --> 00:15:10,010
[ Alarm clock beeping ]

369
00:15:10,034 --> 00:15:13,514
I was thinking, "My poor wife.
You must have to go somewhere.

370
00:15:13,538 --> 00:15:16,392
What a terrible thing.
Oh, my God, it's me."

371
00:15:16,416 --> 00:15:19,019
I had my briefcase
in the bathroom,

372
00:15:19,043 --> 00:15:20,521
my clothes in the bathroom,

373
00:15:20,545 --> 00:15:22,272
and I would try
not to wake my wife up

374
00:15:22,296 --> 00:15:24,983
and then go downstairs
and get out.

375
00:15:25,007 --> 00:15:29,154
We had to figure out how to
get through a day in a coma

376
00:15:29,178 --> 00:15:31,073
but behaving like
an awake human.

377
00:15:31,097 --> 00:15:32,991
-This is a very interesting
pair of shoes

378
00:15:33,015 --> 00:15:34,660
that we have on this morning.

379
00:15:34,684 --> 00:15:36,620
-You get dressed in the dark,
you try not to wake up

380
00:15:36,644 --> 00:15:39,623
the family,
and sometimes you slip up.

381
00:15:39,647 --> 00:15:43,168
-Let's talk about brain cells
in the morning shows, shall we?

382
00:15:43,192 --> 00:15:46,630
{\an8}You'd get up at 1:30, you'd have
to come into the office at 3:00.

383
00:15:46,654 --> 00:15:48,215
Review wires,

384
00:15:48,239 --> 00:15:49,716
look over the script,
make sure it was all fine.

385
00:15:49,740 --> 00:15:52,302
That was done
by the staff previously.

386
00:15:52,326 --> 00:15:56,515
And then you had to present
the show to the anchors at 5:30.

387
00:15:56,539 --> 00:15:58,183
And boy, that better be perfect.

388
00:15:58,207 --> 00:16:00,727
And if not, you would sit there
for the next hour

389
00:16:00,751 --> 00:16:04,148
and rewrite the entire show
in time for air.

390
00:16:04,172 --> 00:16:06,567
-Two hours of live TV a day.

391
00:16:06,591 --> 00:16:09,403
You're shoveling coal
into that furnace

392
00:16:09,427 --> 00:16:12,156
that burns up and it's gone.

393
00:16:12,180 --> 00:16:14,158
The only time people
are gonna talk to you

394
00:16:14,182 --> 00:16:16,285
is when something goes wrong.

395
00:16:16,309 --> 00:16:20,080
-And everything goes wrong for
"Today" co-host Debra Norville,

396
00:16:20,104 --> 00:16:23,250
who, while away on mat leave,
gets replaced by someone

397
00:16:23,274 --> 00:16:26,587
the executives believe
will be better for ratings.

398
00:16:26,611 --> 00:16:29,923
{\an8}-This is "Today"
with Bryant Gumbel,

399
00:16:29,947 --> 00:16:33,594
{\an8}Katherine Couric,
and Joe Garagiola.

400
00:16:33,618 --> 00:16:36,013
{\an8}-Katherine Couric...
Called Katherine at the time...

401
00:16:36,037 --> 00:16:40,601
{\an8}a former CNN Washington
correspondent and producer,

402
00:16:40,625 --> 00:16:43,854
{\an8}is brought up to New York and
does very well opposite Brian.

403
00:16:43,878 --> 00:16:46,815
-I still can't decide
whether I'm Katherine or Katie.

404
00:16:46,839 --> 00:16:48,984
Alex, re-rack it for us.
- Katherine Couric.

405
00:16:49,008 --> 00:16:51,320
- Thank you.
- One more time, Alex.

406
00:16:51,344 --> 00:16:52,946
- Katherine Couric.
- Thank you very much.

407
00:16:52,970 --> 00:16:55,532
-When Couric starts to attract
higher ratings,

408
00:16:55,556 --> 00:16:57,326
Norville's five-month
maternity leave

409
00:16:57,350 --> 00:16:58,744
becomes never-ending.

410
00:16:58,768 --> 00:17:00,329
-In case you haven't gotten
the message,

411
00:17:00,353 --> 00:17:02,581
Katie is now
a permanent fixture up here,

412
00:17:02,605 --> 00:17:05,584
a member of our family,
and an especially welcome one.

413
00:17:05,608 --> 00:17:07,252
Deborah Norville is not.

414
00:17:07,276 --> 00:17:09,838
We had some good times here.

415
00:17:09,862 --> 00:17:11,924
-Katie Couric was
America's sweetheart.

416
00:17:11,948 --> 00:17:14,676
She was the girl in high school
that you had a crush on,

417
00:17:14,700 --> 00:17:16,720
that you enjoyed,
that you had fun with.

418
00:17:16,744 --> 00:17:20,599
She was good girl, cheerleader,
"life is good" America.

419
00:17:20,623 --> 00:17:22,267
And that's why she did so well.

420
00:17:22,291 --> 00:17:24,728
-Couric will quickly prove
to be a better foil

421
00:17:24,752 --> 00:17:27,564
to Brian Gumbel's
masculine jocularity.

422
00:17:27,588 --> 00:17:30,651
- How long are you gone?
- I'm gone for nine weeks.

423
00:17:30,675 --> 00:17:33,153
- Why so long?
- [ Sighs ]

424
00:17:33,177 --> 00:17:36,240
-Her first test comes just
a few months into the gig,

425
00:17:36,264 --> 00:17:39,993
when the head anchor
puts the rookie on the spot for,

426
00:17:40,017 --> 00:17:43,247
like Norville before her,
taking maternity leave.

427
00:17:43,271 --> 00:17:44,998
-Not to sound like a martyr,
but it has...

428
00:17:45,022 --> 00:17:47,459
-Uh-oh!
[ Imitates whip snapping ]

429
00:17:47,483 --> 00:17:51,421
-It has been quite a while
since I've had any time off.

430
00:17:51,445 --> 00:17:53,131
-Couric proves
she can hold her own

431
00:17:53,155 --> 00:17:56,093
by giving it back to Gumbel
as good as she gets it.

432
00:17:56,117 --> 00:17:58,679
-How many vacation weeks
do you get a year, Brian?

433
00:17:58,703 --> 00:18:01,640
- What is this?
- And you don't even have a baby.

434
00:18:01,664 --> 00:18:03,058
-I got two of them at home.

435
00:18:03,082 --> 00:18:04,518
-Well, you know,
you don't have to...

436
00:18:04,542 --> 00:18:06,436
- I don't have to what?
- Forget it.

437
00:18:06,460 --> 00:18:07,813
[Whispers] We'll talk about it
during a commercial.

438
00:18:07,837 --> 00:18:09,606
- The guys have the harder part.
- They do?

439
00:18:09,630 --> 00:18:11,191
-Sure.

440
00:18:11,215 --> 00:18:14,528
8:29. We're gonna...

441
00:18:14,552 --> 00:18:16,363
- "Today" now has
a female co-anchor

442
00:18:16,387 --> 00:18:19,908
whose charms can diffuse
the often overbearing Gumbel.

443
00:18:19,932 --> 00:18:23,328
But the show still has
a behind-the-camera move to make

444
00:18:23,352 --> 00:18:24,746
before it can
once again challenge

445
00:18:24,770 --> 00:18:26,957
"Good Morning America"
in the ratings.

446
00:18:26,981 --> 00:18:29,209
-Dick Ebersol, the man
behind the Jane Pauley,

447
00:18:29,233 --> 00:18:31,628
Deborah Norville switch,
stepped down from his job

448
00:18:31,652 --> 00:18:33,338
as overseer of the program.

449
00:18:33,362 --> 00:18:34,881
-His replacement...

450
00:18:34,905 --> 00:18:37,968
An ambitious young producer
named Jeff Zucker.

451
00:18:37,992 --> 00:18:40,554
Every time I see your name,
it is "26-year-old Jeff Zucker,

452
00:18:40,578 --> 00:18:42,014
26-year-old Jeff Zucker."

453
00:18:42,038 --> 00:18:43,682
It's almost like...
- Have it legally changed?

454
00:18:43,706 --> 00:18:46,184
- if people start calling you
26-Year-Old Zucker.

455
00:18:46,208 --> 00:18:49,646
-It's part of the territory now.

456
00:18:49,670 --> 00:18:51,940
-Hired just four years
earlier by NBC

457
00:18:51,964 --> 00:18:54,067
to intern at the Seoul Olympics,

458
00:18:54,091 --> 00:18:56,069
Zucker is promoted
to the top spot

459
00:18:56,093 --> 00:18:58,739
on the network's
most profitable show.

460
00:18:58,763 --> 00:19:02,451
{\an8}-When he was named
the executive producer,

461
00:19:02,475 --> 00:19:04,911
{\an8}we were kind of surprised,
you know.

462
00:19:04,935 --> 00:19:08,749
{\an8}But Jeff had a vision, as well,

463
00:19:08,773 --> 00:19:13,587
and he was able to address
a younger audience.

464
00:19:13,611 --> 00:19:15,088
-He wants to be a news guy.

465
00:19:15,112 --> 00:19:17,883
And I think you see this
kind of first half hour

466
00:19:17,907 --> 00:19:19,760
of "Today" gets very intense

467
00:19:19,784 --> 00:19:22,721
on breaking news
being on the story of the day.

468
00:19:22,745 --> 00:19:24,598
Whether it be O.J. Simpson

469
00:19:24,622 --> 00:19:26,475
or something
happening at the White House,

470
00:19:26,499 --> 00:19:27,934
Jeff wants "Today" to be there

471
00:19:27,958 --> 00:19:30,270
and to be there ahead
of his competitors.

472
00:19:30,294 --> 00:19:33,774
-And he finds a willing
accomplice in Katie Couric.

473
00:19:33,798 --> 00:19:35,734
-Look who wandered in...
President Bush.

474
00:19:35,758 --> 00:19:38,362
Can you stick around
and talk with us?

475
00:19:38,386 --> 00:19:40,030
-While in the White House
interviewing

476
00:19:40,054 --> 00:19:43,116
First Lady Barbara Bush,
Couric is prompted by Zucker

477
00:19:43,140 --> 00:19:45,952
to switch her focus
to the nearby president.

478
00:19:45,976 --> 00:19:48,288
Couric then challenges
Bush on the role he played

479
00:19:48,312 --> 00:19:51,416
in America's unlawful sale
of weapons to Iran.

480
00:19:51,440 --> 00:19:53,210
-Do you have any knowledge

481
00:19:53,234 --> 00:19:56,338
of the Iran-Contra
arms for hostages deal?

482
00:19:56,362 --> 00:19:59,424
-Absolutely not.
And no one has suggested I did.

483
00:19:59,448 --> 00:20:03,220
-Couric's "Today" show exclusive
traps the president in a lie,

484
00:20:03,244 --> 00:20:06,056
and she's celebrated
as a journalistic hero.

485
00:20:06,080 --> 00:20:08,016
Coming just weeks
before the election,

486
00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:10,685
her interview with Bush
contributes to him losing.

487
00:20:10,709 --> 00:20:13,146
-It looks to me like
what George Bush thinks

488
00:20:13,170 --> 00:20:16,483
he can do is kind of breeze in
and say hello to you

489
00:20:16,507 --> 00:20:18,777
and be very gracious
and very cordial and supportive

490
00:20:18,801 --> 00:20:21,822
to and for his wife Barbara
and breeze on out.

491
00:20:21,846 --> 00:20:25,200
And then you dropped him,
just like boom, boom, boom.

492
00:20:25,224 --> 00:20:27,160
-Zucker's plan is to own
morning news

493
00:20:27,184 --> 00:20:29,287
by beating out
his "GMA" competition

494
00:20:29,311 --> 00:20:31,331
on the biggest stories
of the day,

495
00:20:31,355 --> 00:20:33,667
making "Today"
the must-see morning show

496
00:20:33,691 --> 00:20:36,336
for an information-hungry
audience.

497
00:20:36,360 --> 00:20:38,046
-Start by saying
"Exclusive on 'Today, '

498
00:20:38,070 --> 00:20:40,298
first on 'Good Morning America, '
first on the 'Today' show,

499
00:20:40,322 --> 00:20:41,883
nowhere else but..."

500
00:20:41,907 --> 00:20:43,760
These are important parts
of their morning preamble.

501
00:20:43,784 --> 00:20:45,429
They're kind of set-ups
every morning.

502
00:20:45,453 --> 00:20:48,473
-For the bookers and the
producers, it's life and death.

503
00:20:48,497 --> 00:20:49,975
It's life and death

504
00:20:49,999 --> 00:20:53,728
to be <i>the </i>TV morning show
that got whoever.

505
00:20:53,752 --> 00:20:56,481
-We ripped and read
all the stories

506
00:20:56,505 --> 00:20:59,192
from AP Newswire's service.

507
00:20:59,216 --> 00:21:03,697
We'd run down the hall,
pitch them to our line producer,

508
00:21:03,721 --> 00:21:05,866
senior producer,
executive producer,

509
00:21:05,890 --> 00:21:08,660
and they would say yay or nay.

510
00:21:08,684 --> 00:21:12,080
One of the prerequisites
for the job

511
00:21:12,104 --> 00:21:14,708
was to have a suitcase
under your desk,

512
00:21:14,732 --> 00:21:16,751
because if the news
was in Albuquerque,

513
00:21:16,775 --> 00:21:18,420
that's where we went.

514
00:21:18,444 --> 00:21:20,464
If the news was in Florida,
that's where we went.

515
00:21:20,488 --> 00:21:25,552
So the object of the game
was to get the story first,

516
00:21:25,576 --> 00:21:27,929
find the principles
that you wanted to talk to

517
00:21:27,953 --> 00:21:32,225
who could tell that story,
and get there.

518
00:21:32,249 --> 00:21:35,437
-Jeff Zucker's news-first
approach quickly starts eating

519
00:21:35,461 --> 00:21:37,564
into "GMA" 's ratings lead.

520
00:21:37,588 --> 00:21:39,149
-He was competitive to no end

521
00:21:39,173 --> 00:21:41,485
and not only had to be first
but had to be best.

522
00:21:41,509 --> 00:21:44,905
And I don't care how much money
we spend, it's got to get done.

523
00:21:44,929 --> 00:21:48,492
There was no fighting it.
What he wants happened.

524
00:21:48,516 --> 00:21:50,118
Benevolent dictator.

525
00:21:50,142 --> 00:21:51,495
Um... [ Chuckles ]

526
00:21:51,519 --> 00:21:52,996
There is a skill to that.

527
00:21:53,020 --> 00:21:55,248
{\an8}-Zucker doesn't just
demand good news stories.

528
00:21:55,272 --> 00:21:58,460
{\an8}He always wants to upgrade how
they're packaged and presented.

529
00:21:58,484 --> 00:22:02,923
He leans on NBC brass to let him
turn "Today" into a spectacle.

530
00:22:02,947 --> 00:22:04,633
Literally.
- Christening a new studio.

531
00:22:04,657 --> 00:22:07,803
Studio 1A on this 20th morning
of June, 1994.

532
00:22:07,827 --> 00:22:11,473
Day one of our studio on
the windows... Studio 1A.

533
00:22:11,497 --> 00:22:15,143
-The live-audience concept
with "Today" was so brilliant.

534
00:22:15,167 --> 00:22:17,687
-So, we're test-driving this
as everyone's watching.

535
00:22:17,711 --> 00:22:20,023
-People who already knew
these folks

536
00:22:20,047 --> 00:22:22,734
because they invite them
into their home every day...

537
00:22:22,758 --> 00:22:25,570
Now they can see them
face-to-face.

538
00:22:25,594 --> 00:22:30,116
What better connection
with viewers is there than that?

539
00:22:30,140 --> 00:22:32,452
- "Today" 's, you know,
on-the-street studio

540
00:22:32,476 --> 00:22:34,955
is a seismic change in the
world of morning TV.

541
00:22:34,979 --> 00:22:37,499
{\an8}This is a big deal, adds a whole
new element to the show.

542
00:22:37,523 --> 00:22:40,335
{\an8}It creates all kinds of
interaction with live audiences.

543
00:22:40,359 --> 00:22:44,422
{\an8}It adds a certain burst of
energy to the "Today" show.

544
00:22:44,446 --> 00:22:46,007
{\an8}-Along with the Plaza Studio,

545
00:22:46,031 --> 00:22:49,219
{\an8}Zucker starts to redefine
what constitutes news,

546
00:22:49,243 --> 00:22:52,848
{\an8}doubling and tripling down on
uncovering tantalizing stories

547
00:22:52,872 --> 00:22:55,892
{\an8}that once lived mostly
in supermarket tabloids.

548
00:22:55,916 --> 00:22:57,727
And he does so
just in time to help

549
00:22:57,751 --> 00:23:01,857
transform a C-list celebrity
and former professional athlete

550
00:23:01,881 --> 00:23:04,484
into the decade's
biggest newsmaker.

551
00:23:04,508 --> 00:23:06,570
-Later today in Los Angeles,
O.J. Simpson

552
00:23:06,594 --> 00:23:09,030
is expected to make
his first court appearance.

553
00:23:09,054 --> 00:23:11,741
-Jeff Zucker aggressively covers
the so-called trial

554
00:23:11,765 --> 00:23:14,411
of the century,
packaging it as an exposé

555
00:23:14,435 --> 00:23:17,330
on race, crime,
and status in America.

556
00:23:17,354 --> 00:23:18,957
-You talk about a gamble
that backfired.

557
00:23:18,981 --> 00:23:20,667
-I was gonna say,
that was quite a risk.

558
00:23:20,691 --> 00:23:24,296
{\an8}-And with "GMA" purposely
avoiding daily O.J. coverage,

559
00:23:24,320 --> 00:23:26,423
{\an8}the "Today" show's ratings soar.

560
00:23:26,447 --> 00:23:28,258
-We've been speculating
on what we might hear.

561
00:23:28,282 --> 00:23:31,177
{\an8}-When NBC executives
see the success Zucker is having

562
00:23:31,201 --> 00:23:34,180
{\an8}with his expanded interpretation
of news coverage...

563
00:23:34,204 --> 00:23:36,725
-Rachel, you've gone to some of
the real puppy mills.

564
00:23:36,749 --> 00:23:38,393
What do you see?

565
00:23:38,417 --> 00:23:40,812
- they make a decision
that will change "GMA" forever.

566
00:23:40,836 --> 00:23:43,231
-When "Good Morning America"
first started in the 1970s,

567
00:23:43,255 --> 00:23:44,858
it was run by the
Entertainment division,

568
00:23:44,882 --> 00:23:47,360
and rightfully so,
as an entertainment program.

569
00:23:47,384 --> 00:23:50,155
But as more and more stories
kept creeping into the show,

570
00:23:50,179 --> 00:23:52,282
at some point, it became
more news than entertainment.

571
00:23:52,306 --> 00:23:54,075
And at some point
the News division said,

572
00:23:54,099 --> 00:23:56,453
"Wait a minute,
that's got to be ours.

573
00:23:56,477 --> 00:23:58,288
That can't be
the Entertainment division.

574
00:23:58,312 --> 00:24:00,081
That... we need to run that."

575
00:24:00,105 --> 00:24:02,083
- "GMA" goes from being part
of the Entertainment division

576
00:24:02,107 --> 00:24:03,877
the News division...
It doesn't go well.

577
00:24:03,901 --> 00:24:07,255
News division doesn't know
how to get out of their own way

578
00:24:07,279 --> 00:24:10,133
and make a lifestyle show
that has some news,

579
00:24:10,157 --> 00:24:13,470
rather than a news show
that may nod to lifestyle.

580
00:24:13,494 --> 00:24:15,138
And viewers start leaving.

581
00:24:15,162 --> 00:24:18,350
-With Zucker behind the wheel
and Katie riding shotgun,

582
00:24:18,374 --> 00:24:21,561
"Today" motors to the top spot
in the morning-show ratings.

583
00:24:21,585 --> 00:24:24,230
-The suddenness with which
it went down was just stunning.

584
00:24:24,254 --> 00:24:26,441
-I guess we're gonna try
to make some sense of it all

585
00:24:26,465 --> 00:24:28,276
this morning,
if that's possible.

586
00:24:28,300 --> 00:24:30,320
-So when Bryant Gumbel's
contract comes up

587
00:24:30,344 --> 00:24:31,946
for re-negotiation

588
00:24:31,970 --> 00:24:34,783
and he balks at a 50/50
split of screen time

589
00:24:34,807 --> 00:24:36,826
with his more popular co-host,

590
00:24:36,850 --> 00:24:39,579
Zucker chooses not
to re-sign him.

591
00:24:39,603 --> 00:24:42,582
But in a case of
"Be careful what you wish for,"

592
00:24:42,606 --> 00:24:44,084
Gumbel is replaced by a man

593
00:24:44,108 --> 00:24:46,586
who will forever cast a shadow
over the show.

594
00:24:46,610 --> 00:24:48,237
[ Crowd cheering ]

595
00:24:51,865 --> 00:24:53,843
-This is "Today"
with Katie Couric

596
00:24:53,867 --> 00:24:56,179
and Matt Lauer
[Echoes] and Matt Lauer.

597
00:24:56,203 --> 00:24:57,764
[ Laughter ]

598
00:24:57,788 --> 00:24:59,557
-That's your version.

599
00:24:59,581 --> 00:25:02,185
{\an8}-Matt Lauer is already the
newsreader on the "Today" show.

600
00:25:02,209 --> 00:25:04,729
{\an8}People like him.
He's got great energy on set.

601
00:25:04,753 --> 00:25:07,649
{\an8}It's one of those examples
of the person you think

602
00:25:07,673 --> 00:25:10,694
{\an8}is already there just gets
more of a role in the job.

603
00:25:10,718 --> 00:25:12,237
{\an8}-He's a handsome guy.

604
00:25:12,261 --> 00:25:13,947
{\an8}I mean, you have to admit
he's a handsome guy.

605
00:25:13,971 --> 00:25:16,408
{\an8}So they said, "Okay,
how do we play that up?

606
00:25:16,432 --> 00:25:20,662
He's the cool guy, but he's also
kind of sexy and he's smart.

607
00:25:20,686 --> 00:25:23,581
And so what do we do to kind of,
like, play off on that?"

608
00:25:23,605 --> 00:25:25,250
-Has anybody seen Katie?

609
00:25:25,274 --> 00:25:27,585
-Yeah!

610
00:25:27,609 --> 00:25:29,587
-Matt and Katie really took off.

611
00:25:29,611 --> 00:25:32,132
[ Crowd cheering ]

612
00:25:32,156 --> 00:25:34,050
-Two American kids
doing the best they can.

613
00:25:34,074 --> 00:25:35,802
Like, that's... that's them.

614
00:25:35,826 --> 00:25:38,888
So they played off on that.
Why not? Why wouldn't you?

615
00:25:38,912 --> 00:25:41,641
-There is this thing
called chemistry.

616
00:25:41,665 --> 00:25:42,934
You two have it.

617
00:25:42,958 --> 00:25:44,686
Why did it happen
for the two of you?

618
00:25:44,710 --> 00:25:47,105
-You know, I like this guy.
There's something about him.

619
00:25:47,129 --> 00:25:51,776
I knew he had that SQ that my
dad says... star quality,

620
00:25:51,800 --> 00:25:53,445
and I just thought he was fun.

621
00:25:53,469 --> 00:25:55,113
-We're gonna meet a couple
of wrestlers this morning.

622
00:25:55,137 --> 00:25:56,656
We're gonna have
a safety program

623
00:25:56,680 --> 00:25:59,659
to help kids stay safe
when they try wrestling.

624
00:25:59,683 --> 00:26:01,202
-But before we get to
all that... That's good.

625
00:26:01,226 --> 00:26:02,954
A safety program
that helps them stay safe.

626
00:26:02,978 --> 00:26:04,831
-Otherwise it would be
ridiculous, wouldn't it?

627
00:26:04,855 --> 00:26:06,166
-Right, exactly.

628
00:26:06,190 --> 00:26:08,168
-With success riding
on the audience

629
00:26:08,192 --> 00:26:10,044
feeling connected to the hosts,

630
00:26:10,068 --> 00:26:12,297
"Today" 's executive producer,
Jeff Zucker,

631
00:26:12,321 --> 00:26:15,008
creates gimmicks
to strengthen those bonds.

632
00:26:15,032 --> 00:26:17,594
-♪ Where in the world is...
Huh! ♪

633
00:26:17,618 --> 00:26:19,596
♪ Matt Lauer? ♪

634
00:26:19,620 --> 00:26:22,098
[ Laughter ]

635
00:26:22,122 --> 00:26:24,184
-Katie, it's kind of
a catchy tune, isn't it?

636
00:26:24,208 --> 00:26:26,728
{\an8}Where in the world am I?
Well, before I get to that,

637
00:26:26,752 --> 00:26:28,605
let me give you
a couple of hints.

638
00:26:28,629 --> 00:26:31,816
-You want to see your anchor...
Your friend in the morning...

639
00:26:31,840 --> 00:26:33,193
Going on adventures.

640
00:26:33,217 --> 00:26:34,944
You want to see them
trying new things.

641
00:26:34,968 --> 00:26:36,863
-On "Today,"
the games and stunts

642
00:26:36,887 --> 00:26:38,782
take over more of the show...

643
00:26:38,806 --> 00:26:40,366
-Smooth landing!

644
00:26:40,390 --> 00:26:41,910
- leading critics to question

645
00:26:41,934 --> 00:26:45,455
what the antics have to do
with reporting the news.

646
00:26:45,479 --> 00:26:49,250
{\an8}-At "CBS This Morning," we were
paying attention to the fun

647
00:26:49,274 --> 00:26:53,171
{\an8}and the stunts that they were
enjoying on the "Today" show,

648
00:26:53,195 --> 00:26:55,465
whether it was getting
dressed up in full makeup

649
00:26:55,489 --> 00:26:57,091
with all kinds of crazy costumes

650
00:26:57,115 --> 00:26:58,384
that you couldn't even
really recognize

651
00:26:58,408 --> 00:27:00,512
who the anchors were
on Halloween,

652
00:27:00,536 --> 00:27:04,015
or "Where in the World
is Matt Lauer?" or Katie Couric

653
00:27:04,039 --> 00:27:06,726
dressed as Peter Pan,
flying across the stage.

654
00:27:06,750 --> 00:27:10,563
I don't remember
ever wanting to be that.

655
00:27:10,587 --> 00:27:14,651
I think it was fun
for their audience.

656
00:27:14,675 --> 00:27:18,279
But we're news.

657
00:27:18,303 --> 00:27:21,741
-Yet being relatable hosts
isn't all fun and games.

658
00:27:21,765 --> 00:27:23,451
When Katie's husband,
Jay Monahan,

659
00:27:23,475 --> 00:27:25,787
is diagnosed
with advanced colon cancer,

660
00:27:25,811 --> 00:27:28,248
Zucker asks her to share
her family's ordeal

661
00:27:28,272 --> 00:27:29,749
with the audience.

662
00:27:29,773 --> 00:27:31,376
-Words, of course,
will never describe

663
00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:33,294
how devastating this loss
has been for me

664
00:27:33,318 --> 00:27:37,715
and my daughters and all of
Jay's family, as well.

665
00:27:37,739 --> 00:27:39,384
-Katie was in mourning
for a while.

666
00:27:39,408 --> 00:27:40,885
I think she was actually...
Was off the show for...

667
00:27:40,909 --> 00:27:43,638
For several weeks at a time.

668
00:27:43,662 --> 00:27:47,142
These things become part
of the audience's daily story.

669
00:27:47,166 --> 00:27:49,602
"How is my friend doing?
How are they feeling?

670
00:27:49,626 --> 00:27:51,437
What's going on with them?
Are they feeling better?

671
00:27:51,461 --> 00:27:53,273
How are they
getting through this?"

672
00:27:53,297 --> 00:27:57,443
This becomes part of the the
daily saga of the "Today" show.

673
00:27:57,467 --> 00:27:58,987
-I speak for everyone
in this building

674
00:27:59,011 --> 00:28:00,780
and I'm sure everyone at home
when I say

675
00:28:00,804 --> 00:28:03,074
it's great to see you
and great to have you back.

676
00:28:03,098 --> 00:28:05,160
- Thank you.
- Thanks.

677
00:28:05,184 --> 00:28:08,246
-Katie and Matt's onscreen
authenticity helps keep "Today"

678
00:28:08,270 --> 00:28:09,914
solidly number one.

679
00:28:09,938 --> 00:28:12,959
And that success makes it
the first stop for newsmakers.

680
00:28:12,983 --> 00:28:14,669
{\an8}-From NBC News...

681
00:28:14,693 --> 00:28:18,423
{\an8}-If an American president
had an adulterous liaison

682
00:28:18,447 --> 00:28:20,550
{\an8}in the White House
and lied to cover it up,

683
00:28:20,574 --> 00:28:23,720
{\an8}should the American people
ask for his resignation?

684
00:28:23,744 --> 00:28:25,263
{\an8}-If all that were proven true,

685
00:28:25,287 --> 00:28:27,140
{\an8}I think that would be
a very serious offense.

686
00:28:27,164 --> 00:28:28,892
{\an8}That is not gonna
be proven true.

687
00:28:28,916 --> 00:28:30,935
-What is true is that
the "Today" show

688
00:28:30,959 --> 00:28:33,813
is now beating "GMA"
by its biggest margin

689
00:28:33,837 --> 00:28:35,315
since the 1970s.

690
00:28:35,339 --> 00:28:36,649
-At one point, the "Today"

691
00:28:36,673 --> 00:28:38,818
had 6 million
versus "GMA" 's 3 million.

692
00:28:38,842 --> 00:28:41,112
But at one point,
"Good Morning America" saw CBS

693
00:28:41,136 --> 00:28:44,449
beat it very, very,
very briefly.

694
00:28:44,473 --> 00:28:46,868
That means a loss
of ad revenue very quickly.

695
00:28:46,892 --> 00:28:49,078
You can't sit around and wait
for things to get better.

696
00:28:49,102 --> 00:28:50,496
You need to take action
right away.

697
00:28:50,520 --> 00:28:52,498
-ABC said, "Okay,
we've got to fix this.

698
00:28:52,522 --> 00:28:54,250
We've got to do something."

699
00:28:54,274 --> 00:28:56,544
So, what "Good Morning America"
did in the '90s

700
00:28:56,568 --> 00:28:58,671
was tweak and fix.

701
00:28:58,695 --> 00:29:01,674
-Joan Lunden's
17 years as co-host ends.

702
00:29:01,698 --> 00:29:04,010
Charlie Gibson
soon follows her out the door.

703
00:29:04,034 --> 00:29:06,137
-They went through anchor team
after anchor team

704
00:29:06,161 --> 00:29:07,639
after anchor team
because they were trying

705
00:29:07,663 --> 00:29:09,849
to figure out
what is the new magic.

706
00:29:09,873 --> 00:29:11,309
And so year after year,

707
00:29:11,333 --> 00:29:13,895
it was trying to chase
an elusive audience.

708
00:29:13,919 --> 00:29:16,522
-In the '90s, every problem
at ABC News

709
00:29:16,546 --> 00:29:18,816
was solved with one of
two words...

710
00:29:18,840 --> 00:29:20,860
Diane or Barbara.

711
00:29:20,884 --> 00:29:22,987
For the "GMA" ratings problems,

712
00:29:23,011 --> 00:29:25,531
they pick
"Primetime Live" 's Diane.

713
00:29:25,555 --> 00:29:27,325
-Good evening and welcome
to "Primetime."

714
00:29:27,349 --> 00:29:29,702
Ellen DeGeneres will leave ABC.

715
00:29:29,726 --> 00:29:32,497
Her show canceled,
her feelings bruised.

716
00:29:32,521 --> 00:29:34,707
-This is the former
Nixon speech writer,

717
00:29:34,731 --> 00:29:39,212
seen as a very elegant,
cool under pressure newscaster

718
00:29:39,236 --> 00:29:42,548
and the combination they feel is
gonna move things forward.

719
00:29:42,572 --> 00:29:44,342
-Again, we're making a judgment

720
00:29:44,366 --> 00:29:46,803
about what our society
is comfortable with

721
00:29:46,827 --> 00:29:48,846
and what they might
not be comfortable with.

722
00:29:48,870 --> 00:29:52,684
-Aren't we then just enabling
a prejudice in the audience?

723
00:29:52,708 --> 00:29:54,978
-Well, I was going up
against Katie Couric

724
00:29:55,002 --> 00:29:56,771
and Diane Sawyer, really.

725
00:29:56,795 --> 00:30:00,525
I mean, yeah, I was up against
some pretty big star power.

726
00:30:00,549 --> 00:30:03,695
-ABC News also needs someone
tough enough to compete

727
00:30:03,719 --> 00:30:06,364
against the men
running the "Today" show.

728
00:30:06,388 --> 00:30:10,243
They settle on Diane's friend
and news producer Shelley Ross

729
00:30:10,267 --> 00:30:12,829
to be "GMA" 's
new executive producer.

730
00:30:12,853 --> 00:30:15,081
-This is a woman who's
probably as much of a

731
00:30:15,105 --> 00:30:18,418
behind-the-scenes maverick
as Jeff Zucker.

732
00:30:18,442 --> 00:30:20,878
-She was an investigative
producer who did fantastic

733
00:30:20,902 --> 00:30:22,463
for O.J. Simpson's story,

734
00:30:22,487 --> 00:30:25,466
and she pitched the idea
that she would run the show.

735
00:30:25,490 --> 00:30:27,635
Frankly, you have to have a
little bit of balls to be like,

736
00:30:27,659 --> 00:30:30,430
"I'm gonna run this show.
I'm gonna run this show."

737
00:30:30,454 --> 00:30:33,433
-Her first order of business
is run across the country

738
00:30:33,457 --> 00:30:36,310
to personally convince
Charlie Gibson to come back.

739
00:30:36,334 --> 00:30:38,604
-She had the vision of what
the show should be.

740
00:30:38,628 --> 00:30:41,274
She was able to take relatable,
news-oriented concepts

741
00:30:41,298 --> 00:30:44,110
in everybody's daily life
and put that on television.

742
00:30:44,134 --> 00:30:45,737
-Melody has a little battle plan

743
00:30:45,761 --> 00:30:48,489
if you're one of those
who do get laid off.

744
00:30:48,513 --> 00:30:51,451
-So, whether it was problems
with money, finance, family.

745
00:30:51,475 --> 00:30:53,703
-Three sisters on
the same police force

746
00:30:53,727 --> 00:30:55,413
at the same time.

747
00:30:55,437 --> 00:30:57,457
-Education. Child raising.

748
00:30:57,481 --> 00:30:59,959
-Did you know there is
an epidemic of ecstasy use

749
00:30:59,983 --> 00:31:01,627
among eighth graders?

750
00:31:01,651 --> 00:31:03,838
-All of those issues that people
have in their hearts,

751
00:31:03,862 --> 00:31:06,716
she said, "Wait a minute.
That's... That's the show."

752
00:31:06,740 --> 00:31:10,303
And that's what made
the difference.

753
00:31:10,327 --> 00:31:11,971
-Diane Sawyer and Charles Gibson

754
00:31:11,995 --> 00:31:13,931
are a breath of fresh air
for "Good Morning America."

755
00:31:13,955 --> 00:31:15,892
Plus, Shelley Ross
behind the scenes,

756
00:31:15,916 --> 00:31:17,352
pushing, pushing, pushing.

757
00:31:17,376 --> 00:31:19,145
This combination

758
00:31:19,169 --> 00:31:21,606
starts eating into "Today" 's
lead with with Katie and Matt

759
00:31:21,630 --> 00:31:23,483
and puts things
on more of an even keel.

760
00:31:23,507 --> 00:31:25,151
-But Shelley Ross
and Diane Sawyer

761
00:31:25,175 --> 00:31:27,945
aren't content
to being a closer second.

762
00:31:27,969 --> 00:31:31,282
They want to win and strategize
how to end Jeff Zucker

763
00:31:31,306 --> 00:31:34,327
and Katie Couric's dominance
of morning television.

764
00:31:34,351 --> 00:31:36,120
-We sat in meetings at
"Good Morning America"

765
00:31:36,144 --> 00:31:38,289
and we said, "Holy crap,
they did that?

766
00:31:38,313 --> 00:31:39,582
How did they do that?
We got to do that.

767
00:31:39,606 --> 00:31:40,917
I don't care
how much money it is.

768
00:31:40,941 --> 00:31:42,376
We have to go figure out
how to do that.

769
00:31:42,400 --> 00:31:44,087
We have to better them
at their game."

770
00:31:44,111 --> 00:31:46,756
-Shelley Ross's commitment
to toppling the "Today" show

771
00:31:46,780 --> 00:31:49,634
from its reign at number one
will transform

772
00:31:49,658 --> 00:31:52,494
the morning show battles
into an all-out shooting war.

773
00:31:56,081 --> 00:31:57,642
-Good morning, America.

774
00:31:57,666 --> 00:31:59,936
-We're here again.
It's Wednesday, June 16, 1999.

775
00:31:59,960 --> 00:32:03,523
-In the summer of 1999,
with ratings on the rise,

776
00:32:03,547 --> 00:32:05,650
"GMA" executive producer
Shelley Ross

777
00:32:05,674 --> 00:32:09,737
singles out one of "Today" 's
huge advantages...

778
00:32:09,761 --> 00:32:11,572
Direct access to their audience

779
00:32:11,596 --> 00:32:14,158
with its Rockefeller Plaza
studio.

780
00:32:14,182 --> 00:32:15,701
- "Good Morning America" looked
at that and said,

781
00:32:15,725 --> 00:32:17,495
"Wait a minute,
we can do the same.

782
00:32:17,519 --> 00:32:19,747
Where are we gonna do that?"

783
00:32:19,771 --> 00:32:22,208
Disney owned a building
in Times Square,

784
00:32:22,232 --> 00:32:24,252
so let's just do it there.

785
00:32:24,276 --> 00:32:26,254
Created a duplex
street-front studio,

786
00:32:26,278 --> 00:32:28,798
so it was was twice the size
of the "Today" show.

787
00:32:28,822 --> 00:32:31,968
{\an8}-It was amazing. I mean,
we had an upstairs studio,

788
00:32:31,992 --> 00:32:35,680
{\an8}state-of-the-art control room,
the audience was downstairs.

789
00:32:35,704 --> 00:32:37,890
It was great.
It was a... It was a playground.

790
00:32:37,914 --> 00:32:41,769
-They had a beautiful panoramic
shot of Times Square

791
00:32:41,793 --> 00:32:45,022
in every opening of the show.

792
00:32:45,046 --> 00:32:48,067
So, being competitive,
being Jeff Zucker,

793
00:32:48,091 --> 00:32:50,027
he was like, "Okay, let me see
how I'm gonna... with them,

794
00:32:50,051 --> 00:32:51,737
and here's how we're gonna do.

795
00:32:51,761 --> 00:32:53,781
I'm gonna go buy
that billboard across from them.

796
00:32:53,805 --> 00:32:56,033
So anytime they take a pan shot,

797
00:32:56,057 --> 00:32:58,977
they have no choice
but to hit my billboard."

798
00:33:00,812 --> 00:33:03,916
-That's a real... That's a real
poke in the ribs.

799
00:33:03,940 --> 00:33:06,210
Suddenly, cameras that may have
"Good Morning America"

800
00:33:06,234 --> 00:33:10,590
on the air have Katie and Matt
on the background outside.

801
00:33:10,614 --> 00:33:12,175
-Yeah, it was a bit of
a "...you"

802
00:33:12,199 --> 00:33:13,593
to "Good Morning America",
but it was also,

803
00:33:13,617 --> 00:33:15,136
like, a way of saying,

804
00:33:15,160 --> 00:33:17,180
"Okay, you want to play
our game?

805
00:33:17,204 --> 00:33:19,456
Here's how we're gonna
play the game."

806
00:33:21,541 --> 00:33:23,436
-Despite Zucker's
billboard stunt,

807
00:33:23,460 --> 00:33:25,688
there are signs "Today"
is losing ground.

808
00:33:25,712 --> 00:33:29,400
In just over a year from Diane
and Shelley taking over "GMA,"

809
00:33:29,424 --> 00:33:32,445
The show gains an additional
1 million viewers,

810
00:33:32,469 --> 00:33:35,907
cutting into
"Today" 's lead and revenue.

811
00:33:35,931 --> 00:33:37,742
- We thank them.
- We do.

812
00:33:37,766 --> 00:33:40,578
We love you for coming out
in the middle of this soup.

813
00:33:40,602 --> 00:33:43,623
Now that Ross has leveled the
playing fields logistically,

814
00:33:43,647 --> 00:33:45,249
the war between her and Zucker

815
00:33:45,273 --> 00:33:47,877
comes down to the number-one
rule in the mornings.

816
00:33:47,901 --> 00:33:50,880
-When we come back, the renowned
scientist Jane Goodall.

817
00:33:50,904 --> 00:33:52,465
-Be first.

818
00:33:52,489 --> 00:33:55,676
-Rosie O'Donnell breaks her
silence to Diane Sawyer.

819
00:33:55,700 --> 00:33:58,304
A "Good Morning America"
exclusive Thursday.

820
00:33:58,328 --> 00:34:03,267
{\an8}-We would persuade them to come
on "Good Morning America"

821
00:34:03,291 --> 00:34:09,190
{\an8}to tell their story and give us
their story exclusively.

822
00:34:09,214 --> 00:34:15,154
We would always ask
if they would go on "GMA" first

823
00:34:15,178 --> 00:34:16,656
and only first.

824
00:34:16,680 --> 00:34:18,074
-Under standards and practices,

825
00:34:18,098 --> 00:34:20,576
you weren't allowed
to pay for stories.

826
00:34:20,600 --> 00:34:24,163
So what you would have to do
is figure out a way

827
00:34:24,187 --> 00:34:27,375
to kind of convince the guests
to come on the program

828
00:34:27,399 --> 00:34:30,002
without actually paying them.

829
00:34:30,026 --> 00:34:32,338
There's a skill to walk up
to somebody and say,

830
00:34:32,362 --> 00:34:34,715
"I fully am aware that a tornado
came to your town

831
00:34:34,739 --> 00:34:36,342
and killed everyone
in your family,

832
00:34:36,366 --> 00:34:38,261
but please, it's so important
that you come on our air

833
00:34:38,285 --> 00:34:41,472
and tell us why it's important
that people need to hide

834
00:34:41,496 --> 00:34:43,849
when the alarms go off."

835
00:34:43,873 --> 00:34:46,185
The way to get the guests
to come on sometimes is to say,

836
00:34:46,209 --> 00:34:49,105
"Oh, is that Grandma's picture
of the entire family?

837
00:34:49,129 --> 00:34:50,439
And wait, two of those members

838
00:34:50,463 --> 00:34:52,024
of the family
aren't around anymore

839
00:34:52,048 --> 00:34:53,484
because the tornado
came in through your house

840
00:34:53,508 --> 00:34:56,737
and destroyed your house?

841
00:34:56,761 --> 00:34:59,699
{\an8}Can we buy that picture from you
for like $10,000?

842
00:34:59,723 --> 00:35:01,725
{\an8}It'll pay for a new house."

843
00:35:03,935 --> 00:35:06,163
{\an8}-Some of these bookers stop
at nothing to get their guest.

844
00:35:06,187 --> 00:35:07,873
{\an8}And that means even
when you say you're going to

845
00:35:07,897 --> 00:35:10,084
{\an8}"Good Morning America" or
the "Today" show, that's not...

846
00:35:10,108 --> 00:35:11,877
{\an8}They don't take no for
an answer... they'll keep trying

847
00:35:11,901 --> 00:35:13,629
till you're added...
Till you're on the set

848
00:35:13,653 --> 00:35:15,881
of the competitor, onscreen,
making the first appearance.

849
00:35:15,905 --> 00:35:18,551
These are intense things
that people will not give up on.

850
00:35:18,575 --> 00:35:20,011
And I think they felt
that ratings,

851
00:35:20,035 --> 00:35:21,804
and therefore millions
of dollars,

852
00:35:21,828 --> 00:35:25,057
can go up or down
based on who you can book first.

853
00:35:25,081 --> 00:35:26,892
[ Horn honks ]

854
00:35:26,916 --> 00:35:30,545
-The two shows even resort
to espionage.

855
00:35:32,422 --> 00:35:35,526
-There were some times
when you'd arrive at that hotel

856
00:35:35,550 --> 00:35:38,112
with your guest
to check them in,

857
00:35:38,136 --> 00:35:40,865
and standing right there
in the lobby of the hotel,

858
00:35:40,889 --> 00:35:45,703
you would recognize a booker
from another program.

859
00:35:45,727 --> 00:35:50,291
It was always amusing,
but it was also a hint

860
00:35:50,315 --> 00:35:55,004
that it was time to make sure
that you watched that guest

861
00:35:55,028 --> 00:35:56,964
really carefully.

862
00:35:56,988 --> 00:35:59,592
-I would put you in a hotel
by the airport

863
00:35:59,616 --> 00:36:03,387
under my mother's maiden name
so that nobody would know.

864
00:36:03,411 --> 00:36:05,431
And then I would post
a security guard on the floor

865
00:36:05,455 --> 00:36:06,849
because I didn't want anyone

866
00:36:06,873 --> 00:36:08,601
coming in
and stealing my guests.

867
00:36:08,625 --> 00:36:10,102
I don't care who
the... you were,

868
00:36:10,126 --> 00:36:12,104
you were not coming anywhere
near my guests.

869
00:36:12,128 --> 00:36:14,940
-A guest would be waiting
at a hotel for a car

870
00:36:14,964 --> 00:36:16,859
to pick them up
to bring to the studio.

871
00:36:16,883 --> 00:36:21,989
And another show would show up
with a car and say,

872
00:36:22,013 --> 00:36:23,741
"Come on, get in."
Before you know it,

873
00:36:23,765 --> 00:36:27,286
they'd be in the chair
giving the interview.

874
00:36:27,310 --> 00:36:30,039
-I would hire a PA to do nothing
but show them around New York.

875
00:36:30,063 --> 00:36:31,749
I'd be like, "Okay,
get them on one of those

876
00:36:31,773 --> 00:36:34,919
double-decker buses,"

877
00:36:34,943 --> 00:36:36,629
because if I see them
on the 'Today' show,

878
00:36:36,653 --> 00:36:39,090
I'm gonna... kill you
and I'm gonna fire you.

879
00:36:39,114 --> 00:36:41,592
Probably... kill you
and then fire you."

880
00:36:41,616 --> 00:36:43,678
-As the war between
Zucker's "Today" show

881
00:36:43,702 --> 00:36:46,430
and Ross's "Good Morning
America" intensifies,

882
00:36:46,454 --> 00:36:48,557
so do the lengths
the producers will go

883
00:36:48,581 --> 00:36:50,518
to sabotage their rivals.

884
00:36:50,542 --> 00:36:54,188
When "GMA" puts on an early
morning concert in Bryant Park,

885
00:36:54,212 --> 00:36:57,108
Zucker orders a helicopter
to buzz the crowd.

886
00:36:57,132 --> 00:36:58,818
And when "Today" books
a bride from

887
00:36:58,842 --> 00:37:01,362
"Who Wants to Marry
a Multi-Millionaire?"

888
00:37:01,386 --> 00:37:03,239
"GMA" swoops in, pre-taping

889
00:37:03,263 --> 00:37:05,908
an earlier interview
with the coveted guest.

890
00:37:05,932 --> 00:37:07,243
-What we would do is say,

891
00:37:07,267 --> 00:37:09,078
"Oh, you should come
do our newscast

892
00:37:09,102 --> 00:37:10,830
and then we'll take you
to the other one. It's fine.

893
00:37:10,854 --> 00:37:12,540
We'll take... We'll take you
to the other one.

894
00:37:12,564 --> 00:37:14,959
I promise you, we will.
It'll be fine. It's not live TV.

895
00:37:14,983 --> 00:37:17,211
It's just you and I
talking on camera."

896
00:37:17,235 --> 00:37:21,382
-How many nights have you cried
yourself to sleep since this?

897
00:37:21,406 --> 00:37:24,009
-How many nights has it been
since the show?

898
00:37:24,033 --> 00:37:26,262
-We would do that.
We would do a 6:15 pre-tape.

899
00:37:26,286 --> 00:37:29,014
And then, "So you didn't make it
in time for the other newscast?

900
00:37:29,038 --> 00:37:32,518
Oh. Well, that's too bad."
[ Chuckles ]

901
00:37:32,542 --> 00:37:36,021
-Eventually, the antics between
the two shows get so heated

902
00:37:36,045 --> 00:37:40,067
that EPs Zucker and Ross
connect to hash things out.

903
00:37:40,091 --> 00:37:42,987
-What I've heard is that Shelley
and Jeff would get on the phone,

904
00:37:43,011 --> 00:37:45,030
basically Reagan/Gorbachev
style,

905
00:37:45,054 --> 00:37:48,075
and say, "Okay, all right,

906
00:37:48,099 --> 00:37:50,536
let's figure out how
we're gonna do this,

907
00:37:50,560 --> 00:37:54,206
properly and civilly."

908
00:37:54,230 --> 00:37:56,834
She was on the phone with Jeff
a good chunk of the time saying,

909
00:37:56,858 --> 00:37:58,919
"No, you can't do that,"
or "Yes, okay.

910
00:37:58,943 --> 00:38:00,212
You know what?
I'll do it this way.

911
00:38:00,236 --> 00:38:03,132
Just you got to back
your people off."

912
00:38:03,156 --> 00:38:06,010
-Despite her ruthless passion
to win, Shelley Ross

913
00:38:06,034 --> 00:38:09,138
is never able to fully
close the gap on her rival.

914
00:38:09,162 --> 00:38:13,225
In October of 2000, NBC adds
a third hour of "Today,"

915
00:38:13,249 --> 00:38:17,021
banking an additional 70 million
in annual profits.

916
00:38:17,045 --> 00:38:19,899
Two months later,
Zucker caps off his six-year

917
00:38:19,923 --> 00:38:22,359
winning streak on "Today"
with a promotion

918
00:38:22,383 --> 00:38:24,653
to head of the network,
ending the biggest

919
00:38:24,677 --> 00:38:28,073
producer-on-producer
grudge match in TV history.

920
00:38:28,097 --> 00:38:31,285
Leaving the "Today" show, he
became the CEO of NBC Universal.

921
00:38:31,309 --> 00:38:33,787
He has changed TV as a genre

922
00:38:33,811 --> 00:38:36,707
many times in his career
by trying new things

923
00:38:36,731 --> 00:38:38,584
and never being willing
to kind of end the games.

924
00:38:38,608 --> 00:38:40,419
He never, never lets it go.

925
00:38:40,443 --> 00:38:42,505
-As the country enters
the new millennium,

926
00:38:42,529 --> 00:38:45,758
the future of morning TV
remains with Katie Couric,

927
00:38:45,782 --> 00:38:48,219
Diane Sawyer, and Shelley Ross.

928
00:38:48,243 --> 00:38:51,013
But behind the scenes,
there's a male toxicity

929
00:38:51,037 --> 00:38:53,140
that's been brewing
for some time,

930
00:38:53,164 --> 00:38:54,707
and it's about to boil over.

931
00:38:58,670 --> 00:38:59,980
-Absolutely the most amazing man

932
00:39:00,004 --> 00:39:01,690
that America
has ever created, ever.

933
00:39:01,714 --> 00:39:04,068
-Okay. I have got to
interrupt you right now.

934
00:39:04,092 --> 00:39:06,403
We want to go live right now
and show you a picture

935
00:39:06,427 --> 00:39:10,241
of the World Trade Center,
where I understand...

936
00:39:10,265 --> 00:39:12,451
Do we have it? No, we do not.

937
00:39:12,475 --> 00:39:13,994
-We just got a report in

938
00:39:14,018 --> 00:39:16,247
that there has been
some sort of explosion.

939
00:39:16,271 --> 00:39:20,417
-At 8:46 a.m.
on September 11, 2001,

940
00:39:20,441 --> 00:39:22,169
the morning shows
find themselves

941
00:39:22,193 --> 00:39:24,880
{\an8}in the middle of an
unprecedented American tragedy.

942
00:39:24,904 --> 00:39:26,549
{\an8}-As Matt just mentioned,

943
00:39:26,573 --> 00:39:28,133
{\an8}we have a breaking news story
to tell you about.

944
00:39:28,157 --> 00:39:30,344
-9/11... one of the nation's
biggest tragedies.

945
00:39:30,368 --> 00:39:32,930
You're in unchartered territory
on both morning shows.

946
00:39:32,954 --> 00:39:34,390
Never before has a crisis

947
00:39:34,414 --> 00:39:37,852
of this magnitude
happened during broadcast hours.

948
00:39:37,876 --> 00:39:40,437
{\an8}-Oh, another one just hit!
Something else just hit.

949
00:39:40,461 --> 00:39:43,691
{\an8}A very large plane just
flew directly over my building.

950
00:39:43,715 --> 00:39:45,568
-To see two planes hit
the Twin Towers at 8:45

951
00:39:45,592 --> 00:39:47,111
in the middle of
a cooking segment?

952
00:39:47,135 --> 00:39:48,946
Wait, what?

953
00:39:48,970 --> 00:39:51,115
-In the days and weeks
following 9/11,

954
00:39:51,139 --> 00:39:55,494
the Today show is consumed
by the story, and ratings lag.

955
00:39:55,518 --> 00:39:59,790
-I think it impacted our show
even more than our competition.

956
00:39:59,814 --> 00:40:01,667
We didn't have that chemistry

957
00:40:01,691 --> 00:40:04,295
because all we were talking
about was death and heartache.

958
00:40:04,319 --> 00:40:06,046
We didn't then turn
to each other and say,

959
00:40:06,070 --> 00:40:07,673
"Wasn't that fun?" Or,
"What did you do this weekend?"

960
00:40:07,697 --> 00:40:09,133
-And at "GMA",

961
00:40:09,157 --> 00:40:12,303
audiences are eased into
a more prosaic future.

962
00:40:12,327 --> 00:40:14,638
-So, you think forward
a little bit and off you go.

963
00:40:14,662 --> 00:40:16,390
And then you turn to the left.
You just come back around.

964
00:40:16,414 --> 00:40:18,392
Oh, I'm sorry.
Gonna run into you.

965
00:40:18,416 --> 00:40:20,019
-Worried about losing
Katie Couric

966
00:40:20,043 --> 00:40:23,063
during the ratings slump,
the now president of NBC,

967
00:40:23,087 --> 00:40:26,775
Jeff Zucker, signs her
to a record-breaking contract.

968
00:40:26,799 --> 00:40:28,694
-Katie Couric signed
a five-year deal

969
00:40:28,718 --> 00:40:30,654
at more than
$16 million in total.

970
00:40:30,678 --> 00:40:32,531
Hosts can become really
entrenched in their positions.

971
00:40:32,555 --> 00:40:34,658
They need to have them.
They're the center of the show.

972
00:40:34,682 --> 00:40:36,535
Their salaries go...
Get quite high.

973
00:40:36,559 --> 00:40:38,454
I believe, at one point,
Diane Sawyer is making

974
00:40:38,478 --> 00:40:40,122
about $12 million per year.

975
00:40:40,146 --> 00:40:42,041
Those are big numbers.

976
00:40:42,065 --> 00:40:44,126
-But the numbers that count
are the ratings.

977
00:40:44,150 --> 00:40:45,794
And while Shelley Ross and "GMA"

978
00:40:45,818 --> 00:40:47,880
continue to close
the gap on "Today,"

979
00:40:47,904 --> 00:40:50,924
she never quite manages
to win the top spot.

980
00:40:50,948 --> 00:40:53,010
Her brash management style

981
00:40:53,034 --> 00:40:56,055
leads some to celebrate her
departure in 2006.

982
00:40:56,079 --> 00:40:58,057
-Shelley Ross did shake up
the culture quite a bit,

983
00:40:58,081 --> 00:40:59,892
and I think,
by the end of her tenure,

984
00:40:59,916 --> 00:41:01,852
was seen as maybe
pushing too hard,

985
00:41:01,876 --> 00:41:03,729
being too much
of a tough boss to take.

986
00:41:03,753 --> 00:41:06,273
The culture was getting
a little too rough-and-tumble,

987
00:41:06,297 --> 00:41:09,610
and it was not
where they wanted to be.

988
00:41:09,634 --> 00:41:12,946
-Ironically, in Shelley Ross's
time at "GMA,"

989
00:41:12,970 --> 00:41:16,033
we did not become
the number-one show.

990
00:41:16,057 --> 00:41:18,160
But I think because
of a lot of things

991
00:41:18,184 --> 00:41:20,120
that she brought into the show,

992
00:41:20,144 --> 00:41:24,500
it ultimately led to us
going back to being number one.

993
00:41:24,524 --> 00:41:28,629
-Finally, in the spring of 2012,
"GMA" earns its first one-week

994
00:41:28,653 --> 00:41:32,633
ratings win over the "Today"
show in over 17 years.

995
00:41:32,657 --> 00:41:36,178
Katie Couric has long since
retired from morning TV,

996
00:41:36,202 --> 00:41:38,597
leaving the show in the hands
of her long-time

997
00:41:38,621 --> 00:41:41,934
headline-grabbing co-anchor,
Matt Lauer.

998
00:41:41,958 --> 00:41:43,852
-There have long been
whispers of Lauer

999
00:41:43,876 --> 00:41:45,813
not having a happy marriage.

1000
00:41:45,837 --> 00:41:47,356
Tabloids are always
on him about,

1001
00:41:47,380 --> 00:41:48,982
you know, was he
seeing somebody or not?

1002
00:41:49,006 --> 00:41:50,776
Was he... Was he dating
someone on the side?

1003
00:41:50,800 --> 00:41:53,195
It's documented now that Lauer
was perhaps having relations

1004
00:41:53,219 --> 00:41:55,864
with people on staff
at "Today" show.

1005
00:41:55,888 --> 00:41:57,574
-Despite the off-screen drama,

1006
00:41:57,598 --> 00:42:00,202
the show's troubles are blamed
on long-time newsreader

1007
00:42:00,226 --> 00:42:02,955
and recently promoted
co-host, Ann Curry,

1008
00:42:02,979 --> 00:42:05,958
who's abruptly shuffled off
the anchor desk.

1009
00:42:05,982 --> 00:42:07,960
-This is not easy to say,
but today is going to be

1010
00:42:07,984 --> 00:42:10,754
my last morning
as a regular co-host of "Today."

1011
00:42:10,778 --> 00:42:13,465
-It's a move that shocks
not only the audience,

1012
00:42:13,489 --> 00:42:15,008
but Curry, as well.

1013
00:42:15,032 --> 00:42:17,344
-This is not expe... as I
expected to ever leave

1014
00:42:17,368 --> 00:42:20,973
this couch after 15 years,
but I am so grateful.

1015
00:42:20,997 --> 00:42:22,641
-Around the time
of her departure,

1016
00:42:22,665 --> 00:42:25,978
Curry says she warned NBC
executives about Matt Lauer,

1017
00:42:26,002 --> 00:42:28,981
saying, "I told management
they had a problem

1018
00:42:29,005 --> 00:42:30,691
and they needed
to keep an eye on him

1019
00:42:30,715 --> 00:42:32,484
and how he deals with women."

1020
00:42:32,508 --> 00:42:35,863
Five years later, Matt Lauer
would be fired from the show

1021
00:42:35,887 --> 00:42:38,866
following allegations
of sexual misconduct.

1022
00:42:38,890 --> 00:42:41,326
-I think the idea that you had
a morning show host

1023
00:42:41,350 --> 00:42:45,330
whose off-screen behavior
was unpleasant,

1024
00:42:45,354 --> 00:42:48,584
unsavory, hard to hear about,
hard to listen about...

1025
00:42:48,608 --> 00:42:50,627
Yeah, I think it left
a bad taste

1026
00:42:50,651 --> 00:42:52,296
in a lot of people's mouths.

1027
00:42:52,320 --> 00:42:53,922
No question.

1028
00:42:53,946 --> 00:42:56,008
-Shelley Ross finds herself
at the center of

1029
00:42:56,032 --> 00:42:59,052
the MeToo movement reckoning
when she accuses

1030
00:42:59,076 --> 00:43:02,181
Fox News icon Roger Ailes
of sexual harassment.

1031
00:43:02,205 --> 00:43:03,724
-It's everywhere.

1032
00:43:03,748 --> 00:43:08,020
It's everywhere I worked,
and it has many levels.

1033
00:43:08,044 --> 00:43:11,273
You think,
since we report on it,

1034
00:43:11,297 --> 00:43:13,817
{\an8}that our colleagues
should know better,

1035
00:43:13,841 --> 00:43:17,279
{\an8}that they should be
a little more elevated,

1036
00:43:17,303 --> 00:43:18,947
{\an8}and they're not.

1037
00:43:18,971 --> 00:43:22,576
-Yet despite all the turmoil,
morning TV marches on.

1038
00:43:22,600 --> 00:43:24,119
-These days, it's neck-and-neck.

1039
00:43:24,143 --> 00:43:25,829
I mean, "Good Morning America"
and "Today."

1040
00:43:25,853 --> 00:43:27,581
-And it is a back-and-forth

1041
00:43:27,605 --> 00:43:30,876
now between the "Today" show
and "Good Morning America".

1042
00:43:30,900 --> 00:43:32,669
It's still a constant fight.

1043
00:43:32,693 --> 00:43:37,049
-Albeit in a somewhat
reduced capacity.

1044
00:43:37,073 --> 00:43:40,594
-Everything changed when the
smartphone came into the game.

1045
00:43:40,618 --> 00:43:42,763
{\an8}No longer needed morning TV.

1046
00:43:42,787 --> 00:43:45,182
{\an8}I no longer need to turn over

1047
00:43:45,206 --> 00:43:47,100
{\an8}when I wake up in the morning
and turn the TV on.

1048
00:43:47,124 --> 00:43:48,769
{\an8}I turn over
and look at my phone.

1049
00:43:48,793 --> 00:43:50,395
{\an8}"Did the world explode?
Oh, good, it didn't explode.

1050
00:43:50,419 --> 00:43:52,314
{\an8}That's fine. That's good.
Thank you."

1051
00:43:52,338 --> 00:43:53,899
{\an8}That's the difference.

1052
00:43:53,923 --> 00:43:55,776
{\an8}"Today" show and "GMA" have gone
into the streaming world

1053
00:43:55,800 --> 00:43:57,694
{\an8}because they see that people
are cutting the cord.

1054
00:43:57,718 --> 00:43:59,863
{\an8}The future is on the phone,
the future is mobile,

1055
00:43:59,887 --> 00:44:01,240
{\an8}the future is digital.

1056
00:44:01,264 --> 00:44:02,908
{\an8}"Oh, did so-and-so die?
That's terrible.

1057
00:44:02,932 --> 00:44:04,535
{\an8}Okay, fine. Great. Thank you."
Slide.

1058
00:44:04,559 --> 00:44:06,078
{\an8}"Oh, did that fire happen?

1059
00:44:06,102 --> 00:44:07,955
{\an8}Oh, my God, I didn't know that.
All right, good."

1060
00:44:07,979 --> 00:44:09,605
{\an8}That's morning show.