Third hour a charm for Today II

After years of playing second fiddle to the first two hours, Today II is showing signs of ratings life.

Today II has long been known as the place where Today segments go to die. The hourlong show, which runs from 9-10 a.m., is usually hosted by a round robin of the Today team, including newscaster Ann Curry and up-and-comers Alexis Glick and Natalie Morales. It's quite a different take on the midmorning compared to reigning schmoozemeisters Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa, whose Live leads the pack at 9 a.m.

Yet as concerns about ABC's Good Morning America diminish, NBC is turning its attention to the third hour of Today.

Senior producer Amy Rosenblum has restructured the show to appeal to women in their 40s and 50s, the typical daytime TV viewers. Segments talk about how to age well, eat better, and preserve health. One segment gave dating tips for older women; another talked about the impact of so-called emotional cheating on marriages.

"It's news you can use, but we're not hitting them over the head with the hard stuff," said Rosenblum, a former executive producer of Maury.

She said she has just put the show in line with others on daytime TV. The knock against Today II had always been that it was less-than-prime real estate on the top morning show. Today executive producer Jim Bell's message, when he came to the show in early April: The third hour is just as important.

Today remains the only network morning show that lasts three hours on weekdays. CBS' The Early Show seems to need to make its two hours more noticeable in the ratings, and Good Morning America is followed in a number of markets by Live, which is produced by ABC's Buena Vista Television.

Live still rules the ratings roost, with a season-to-date average of 4.4 million viewers and a 1.5 rating in the adults 25-54 demographic, according to Nielsen Media Research. Live has been growing in total viewers yet flat in the demo; Today has dropped slightly in both, but it's still close on the heels of Live, with 4.1 million viewers and a 1.4 rating.

Yet Today II gives NBC a number of benefits beyond the ratings. Unlike the other two shows, Today has three hours with which to go long on some segments, whereas they would be clipped if it were a two-hour show. And in the months before franchise talent Katie Couric decides whether to stay at Today, the third hour gives NBC brass a chance to test the field.

"It's a wonderful showcase opportunity to groom talent," said Bill Carroll, a television expert at New York-based Katz Media. "That's the most difficult thing [for a show to do], no matter what the speculation [about Katie Couric]."

Carroll thinks that Today II has recently developed its own style, beyond its initial reputation as a third hour of Today. The on-air talent has gotten much more conversational, though it's nothing compared to the freewheeling first 15 minutes of Philbin and Ripa.

"It's a lot of fun for women--fashion, makeup, relationships," Bell said. "It's not as heavy as the 7 o'clock hour, and I think that people have responded to it. [The strategy] is starting to pay dividends."