“They’ll come,’’ predicted Jim Bell, the show’s executive producer.
“Today’’ looms as an ever-more important promotional showcase for NBC’s Winter Olympics coverage, given the network’s dwindling audience in prime-time and late-night hours. Not that it needs it, but the Olympics are another showcase for television’s most popular morning news show.
Matt Lauer and Natalie Morales are arriving first at the “Today’’ set on Grouse Mountain; Lauer will carry the Olympic torch through the town of Burnaby, British Columbia, as part of the torch relay. Meredith Vieira, Al Roker, and Ann Curry arrive on Feb. 12, the day of the opening ceremonies. It’s the seventh time that “Today’’ has gone on location for Olympics coverage.
The schedule was far more comfortable for “Today’’ and its guests during the Summer Games in Beijing two years ago. There, the live show kicked off at 7 p.m. local time.
Despite being in the middle of the night, Bell said athletes will still wake up early for the chance to be seen on national television. In many cases, they will just stay up late.
“Even though it’s 4 a.m., we’re excited to have great guests, great crowds, great energy,’’ he said. “It’s the Olympics. People will want to come if they have a medal draped around their neck or if they want to hold up a sign saying ‘hi’ to the people back home. It doesn’t matter to us what time it is.’’
The mountain supposedly provides a great view of the Vancouver area - not that it matters in the middle of the night. The proximity to the winter sports also gives the “Today’’ personalities a chance to embarrass themselves on ice.
Olympic gold medalists Picabo Street and Kristi Yamaguchi will be “Today’’ special correspondents during the Olympics, offering commentary and analysis of the action. “Today’’ special correspondent Jenna Bush Hager will also contribute human interest stories to the mix.
