Carson Daly was looking for a new challenge in a long career in the media business. On Saturday morning, he’ll get it.
Daly will team up with Laura Jarrett, Joe Fryer, and meteorologist Angie Lassman on NBC’s “Saturday Today” telecast, the latest attempt by one of the big broadcast networks to create bespoke versions of their morning franchises that appeal to weekend audiences with a little more time on their hands in the A.M.
“If people are waking up with us, we want to respect that and we want to give them something that’s worth tuning into,” says Jarrett, who joined “Today” in 2023, a year after moving to NBC News from CNN.
NBC, ABC and CBS have worked to create weekend-news programs with a little more distinction from their weekday flagships. The Saturday telecast of CBS’ “Saturday Morning” puts a spotlight on topics such as food and music. ABC recently recalibrated the anchor teams on its weekend broadcasts of “Good Morning America,” adding Rachel Scott and Rhiannon Ally.
NBC has been encouraged in this vision by the Sunday telecast of “Today,” led by Willie Geist. The anchor offers a slower-paced hour of “Today” that tackles headlines as warranted, but also offers up a deeper interview with a person of interest as well as other features. Geist typically writes much of the show by himself. NBC News has experimented with turning Geist’s longer-form interviews into ticketed events, a move that generates live-media revenue.
Adding Daly, however, brings a person with a different set of skills to the fore of the Saturday show. Jarrett’s previous co-host, Peter Alexander, had a long tenure as a Washington and White House correspondent. Daly has cultivated a broader set of experiences, famously hosting MTV’s “TRL” earlier in his career, then going to host the wee-hours NBC program “Last Call” and host and executive produce “The Voice.”
Over that time, he’s learned to lead in-depth conversations and hold forth with musicians, newsmakers and entertainers. “I’ve always enjoyed longer-form interviews,” Daly says, and he studied Bob Costas and Greg Kinnear, who hosted late-night shows at NBC before his tenure started. “I have a natural curiosity,’” he says, and often comes into a segment with “one thousand questions” he might want to ask a guest — if only “Today” had more time for extended interviews
Daly has been a staple on “Today” since 2013, when he joined as a correspondent of sorts, curating interesting developments taking place on social media from the show’s “Orange Room.” These days, he’s more of a regular presence in the weekday telecast’s second hour, and is often found talking alongside Savannah Guthrie, Craig Melvin, Al Roker and other “Today” anchors.
Several months ago, he considered how he might push himself, and asked “Today” producers if they would consider letting him co-anchor on days when others were off — even on holidays. “I’ve never been afraid to take on a challenge,” Daly says. “I’m glad I stuck my neck out.”
Jarrett has been enjoying her time on “Today” as well as her position as NBC News’ senior legal correspondent. Saturday viewers can still expect to get the headlines, she says. “We will still do the news. We will still do special reports” if warranted, she says.
Jarrett has “a style on TV that I happen to not only respect but also enjoy watching, and so I think I’m going to learn a lot,” says Daly.
Daly takes up his new duties just as the holiday season approaches, a cycle that often brings a broader audience to “Today.” On Saturday, says Jarrett, viewers might get a peek at the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree arriving in New York — in addition to the official launch of “a new era” for the Saturday program.
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