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    Today Show

    Today Show

    NBC
    On January 14 1952, The Today Show, a long running morning news program on NBC, went on the air. It aired at 7:00 A.M. (Eastern Time) as a 2-hour news and information show. For many years it was a 2-hour program from 7:00 to 9:00 ET, until NBC expanded it to 3 hours (7-10 A.M. Eastern Time) on October 2, 2000. On September 10, 2007 a fourth hour was added to the show. Today was the first of its genre when it first signed on with host Dave Garroway. The show successfully blends national news headlines, in-depth interviews with newsmakers, lifestyle features, other light news and gimmicks (including the presence of the chimpanzee J. Fred Muggs as the show's mascot during the early years), and local news updates. It has spawned several other shows of a similar type, including ABC's Good Morning America, CBS's The Early Show, and the Canadian series, Canada AM. The show is filmed and produced at studio 1A in Rockefeller Center, New York, just across the street from NBC headquarters at the GE Building. The studio is located right next to the street and many times the hosts do the weather or other events from outside. Today was the brainchild of Pat Weaver, who was then vice-president of NBC. Later, he became president of the company from 1953 to 1955, and then served as chairman of the board for another year. The show is currently hosted by Meredith Viera and Matt Lauer. Al Roker does weather updates and Ann Curry reads news headlines. Gene Shalit is the entertainment critic. Previous hosts have included Bryant Gumbel, Jane Pauley, Deborah Norville, Tom Brokaw, Barbara Walters, Hugh Downs, and Flyod Kalber. Popular former weathercaster Willard Scott still appears on the show daily doing the 100th birthday announcements he first became famous for in the 1980s.moreless
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    Meet the Press

    Meet the Press

    NBC
    Meet the Press debuted on November 6, 1947, and has become the longest-running television show in the history of broadcasting. Watch as the current moderator interviews some of the most influential people in Washington.moreless
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    Face the Nation

    Face the Nation

    CBS
    Face The Nation is a news interview program which airs every Sunday morning, live from the CBS studio in Washington D.C. It is dedicated to interviewing newsmakers on the latest issues. Guests include government leaders, politicians, and international figures in the news. CBS News correspondents engage the guests in a lively roundtable discussion focusing on current topics. The show started on November 7th, 1954, and was originally broadcast on both CBS Television and Radio Networks. After close to two decades, the program was taken off CBS radio.moreless
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    The Presidential Inauguration

    The Presidential Inauguration

    FOX News Channel
    The U.S. Presidential Inauguration has been broadcast on national television since the 2nd Inauguration of Harry S. Truman in 1949. The Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States took place on January 20th, 2009. The inauguration ceremony was telecast on FOX, ABC, NBC and all major television and news networks. It is believed to be one of the most watched events of all time by a global audience. Following the events of the 2008 Presidential campaign, the inauguration was particularly noteworthy for several reasons. Perhaps most notably, Mr. Obama was the first ever African American voted into office. Secondly, his election represented a political culture shift because he was the first man born after 1960 elected President. Fox political analysts and others believe he won the Presidency by breaking away from the status quo of Washington politics and demonstrating a fresh approach to the many problems facing the nation, including two wars and a downturn in the economy. Several events accompanied the inauguration, including a train ride recreating the route taken by Abraham Lincoln, concerts, parades, church services and ten post inaugural balls, many of which were available for the public to watch online.moreless