NBC: More "Today," No More "Passions"

Network Cancels Soap, Will Add Extra Hour To Morning Show

(AP)  NBC's "Today" show will add a fourth hour in September, stretching television's most popular and lucrative morning show nearly into lunchtime.

The fourth hour will likely resemble the current third hour, light on hard news and heavy on lifestyle segments, NBC executives said Wednesday. Al Roker and Ann Curry are currently hosts of the third hour, but NBC News President Steve Capus said it hasn't been determined who will do the fourth hour.

"The key here is the quality," said executive producer Jim Bell. "It will connect with the 'Today' brand."

At the same time, NBC is canceling the soap opera "Passions." Both moves reflect a trend that advertisers have less interest in traditional daytime TV while morning news and entertainment is considered a growth area. Fox is introducing a new network morning show on Monday.

Roughly half of NBC affiliates are expected to take the fourth hour when it begins, Capus said. Some may air it at a different time of day.

"Today" host Matt Lauer, who will likely have little to do the fourth hour, acknowledged that he was wary about the idea at first.

"You go into something like this with slightly mixed emotions," he said. "The one thing you don't want it to do is dilute the brand."

But he said he understood the business reasons behind it and was confident it will work.

Lauer's co-host, Meredith Vieira, will have nothing to do with the fourth hour for contractual reasons. Since she is host of the game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," her contract forbids her from being a part of another show past 9 a.m. each day.

Capus also said he expected better results from the fourth hour than the short-run "Later Today" program that aired earlier this decade with Florence Henderson as a host.

That show didn't work because it felt like something different from the "Today" show, he said.

[simms_eleyet]

Who is the crack head that came up with the bright idea to make the Today Show 4 hours and get ride of Passions? Passions is one of the best shows, ever. It is not like any other soap opera out there. I think you all are nuts to get ride of it. I am a big fan of Days to. But, if you get ride of Passions, I will stop watching NBC all together, and I have seen on message boards every where, where people said that they will no longer watch NBC if you do get ride of Passions. Who in there right mind is going to watch 4 hours of the Today Show? And, there are plenty of other shows you could get ride of. You play Entertainment Today twice a day. Why not get ride of one of those airings? Get ride of something else or don't add an hour to the stupid today show!!!! How stupid can you be?