Ratings for third hour of today show
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Viewers Return to Third Hour of ‘Today’ After Era of Tumult
Some of TV’s most popular programs are rooted in a blockbuster creative concept. Others are designed to cater to a unique insight about audience behavior.
Third hour of the day
The current third hour of NBC’s venerable “Today” was spurred by a different factor: sheer necessity.
NBC News didn’t have the luxury of focus groups or a test show when it debuted a retooled 9 a.m.
edition of “Today” in October of last year. Megyn Kelly’s much-scrutinized morning hour had been cancelled, and the only thing that stood between the network and dead air (and a slew of advertiser make-goods) was the current “Today” staff.
“It was done very quickly, and without much notice,” says Jackie Levin, the executive producer of the third hour, who remained at its helm after overseeing “Megyn Kelly Today.” The task, she tells Variety, was daunting.
The time slot had lost a substantial number of viewers, and the first notion was to put on something more like th