Today was the first of its genre when it first signed on with host Dave Garroway. The show successfully blends national news headlines, in-depth interviews with newsmakers, lifestyle features, other light news and gimmicks, and local news updates. It has spawned several other shows of a similar type, including ABC's Good Morning America and CBS's The Early Show.
Today was the brainchild of Pat Weaver, who was then vice-president of NBC. Later, he became president of the company from 1953 to 1955, and then served as chairman of the board for another year.
The show is currently hosted by Katie Couric and Matt Lauer. Al Roker does weather updates and Ann Curry reads news headlines.
Previous hosts have included Diane Sawyer, Bryant Gumbel, Jane Pauley and Deborah Norville. Popular former weathercaster Willard Scott still appears on the show daily doing 100th birthday announcements he became famous for in the 1980s.