Today Television Program

The first part of the "Today" show summer mystery has been answered affirmatively: Viewers did not abandon morning television's pacesetter because Katie Couric left after 15 years. Now comes the second, more important question. Will those same viewers embrace Meredith Vieira?

KATIE COURIC'S "Today" show farewell, after 15 years, was basically one of those office cake ceremonies. You know, everyone standing around in awkward repose as the guest of honor promises to come visit so much "you guys'll be sick of me" and eventually everyone trudges back to their desks to resume surfing the Net and wonder what exactly it is they're doing with their own lives. Certainly Katie knows what she's been doing with hers and has the video montages to prove it.

"Today" co-anchor Matt Lauer was in the middle of describing a cellphone conversation with his newly hired on-air partner, Meredith Vieira, when -- in front of a roomful of reporters -- she interrupted to correct his account. "Can I tell the story?" he retorted in mock exasperation. "Is this going to happen? I went through 10 years of this!" "I thought you just screwed up again," she said, patting his knee apologetically. "I was trying to help you."

It was clear just minutes into Thursday's news conference at Rockefeller Center that Meredith Vieira was going to inject a different sensibility into NBC's "Today" when she starts co-anchoring the program this fall. "I'm my own personality, so I hope to bring whatever that is, for better or worse, to the show," said the moderator of ABC's "The View" and host of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," who worked as a network news correspondent before moving to daytime television nine years ago.

NEW YORK -- Katie Couric's announcement Wednesday that she is leaving NBC's "Today" to become the next face of CBS News ushers in a new era for her next employer, which is counting on the celebrity broadcaster not only to expand the audience of its third-place evening newscast but also to restore the standing of the entire news division.

Katie Couric said Wednesday morning on "Today" that she felt like Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz." It had to do with how Matt Lauer is her Scarecrow and she was going to miss him the most. "The Wizard of Oz" is about a girl in a blue dress who, during a tornado, has a strange dream and then wakes up to find her family and friends all around her and very concerned. As you can see, it's all about Dorothy; we really don't get much news about the tornado.

After 15 years on the "Today" show, Katie Couric is set to announce today that she plans to leave NBC to become the anchor of the "CBS Evening News," according to sources familiar with the discussions. With the long-anticipated move, Couric would make history as the first solo female anchor of a network evening newscast and bring instant star wattage to CBS, which is rebuilding its news division after airing a flawed report in 2004 about President Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard.

Several key details remain to be resolved before "Today" co-anchor Katie Couric would leave her post and take over the "CBS Evening News," including the final negotiations of what her contract would be at the network. But that hasn't stopped executives across the television news industry, who have been bracing for the NBC star to make the jump and planning their countermoves accordingly.

New York IT was Monday morning and "Today" was entering its third hour, when things tend to get a little silly. At this particular moment, Paula Abdul was hitting Matt Lauer. Perched on a stool in Rockefeller Center's Studio 1A, the petite pop star playfully pummeled Lauer's arms and legs, demonstrating how she deals with fellow "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell. The morning show anchor sat calmly through the assault. "This is enjoyable," he deadpanned.

The conference call with reporters Thursday was organized to spotlight the "Today" show's 10-year streak as the top-rated morning news program, but co-anchor Katie Couric knew the real question on everyone's mind: Will she be staying at NBC?