From Yesterday to TODAY: Six Decades of America's Favorite Morning Show [Hardcover]

Stephen Battaglio (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 15, 2011

“When Dave Garroway welcomed viewers to Today on that day in 1952, he ushered in a new era in broadcasting. . . . It was a place where viewers could turn to each morning to satisfy their appetite for all things news and information. It was a destination for the curious to learn more about what had happened overnight and how the day ahead might shape up. And they would see and hear it all from the best storytellers in broadcasting.”

—from the foreword

 

Throughout the history of television there has been nothing quite like NBC’s Today. Ever since the brilliant and innovative TV network executive Pat Weaver conceived the idea of broadcasting a “national newspaper of the air,” Today has chronicled the triumphs and tragedies of our times through personalities that viewers have trusted and admired. With dozens of never-before-published photographs, From Yesterday to TODAY offers an insightful and entertaining history of America’s favorite morning show from its experimental beginnings with Dave Garroway and a chimpanzee named J. Fred Muggs to its enduring success in the 21st century with co-anchors Matt Lauer and Ann Curry.

Through personal recollections from Today family members such as Barbara Walters, Tom Brokaw, Jane Pauley, Bryant Gumbel, Katie Couric, Willard Scott, Matt Lauer, Al Roker, Meredith Vieira, and Ann Curry From Yesterday to TODAY will take you on the unique journey traveled by those who reported the news, reflected on cultural trends and provided comfort to a nation of viewers often before they have had that first cup of coffee. For more than sixty years, Today has delivered the public their first glimpse at the new ideas, political leaders, and social upheaval that shaped our lives. It has remained a constant in a dynamic medium that evolved from grainy black-and-white images to the computer screen. It has reminded us of the joy of living and why it is worth getting up each day. 

Editorial Reviews

Review

Broadcasting & Cable

"The coffee-table style book is full of great anecdotes and photos of the show's history."

Parade.com

"A compelling chronicle of failures and successes, complete with the requisite drama and heartwarming moments not unlike the stories the program presents to its viewers each morning." 

Politico

"Gifts we're giving for the holidays."

Tampa Bay Times

"Just the gift for anyone on your list who has ever held up a sign outside the Today show studio." 

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"Fans of NBC's Today show will love this coffeetable retrospective, packed with fabulous photos...lots of information on its stars (and their changing hairstyles!), including Florence Henderson, Barbara Walters, Katie Couric and more. But it's also a look at America's pop culture and social history."

NY Daily News
“Carefully and wisely framing the story as a lavishly illustrated history, Battaglio, a former Daily News staffer, creates a written highlight reel that’s little short of remarkable.”

Library Journal
"With its bountiful photographs and interviews, this valentine to the Today Show celebrates a program that has been woven into our collective historical narrative by virtue of its ongoing presence and coverage of national and international events for the past 60 years. The best kind of memory book—beautiful, informative, and evocative."

About the Author

Stephen Battaglio is the business editor for TV Guide Magazine. His coverage of the television business has appeared in The New York Times, Fortune, the New York Daily News, The Hollywood Reporter and Inside.com. He is the author of David Susskind: A Televised Life (St. Martin's Press), the first biography of the influential TV talk show host and producer. He has also appeared as a media commentator on numerous TV news programs including NBC's Today, CBS Sunday Morning, and MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews. He lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Running Press; 1 edition (November 15, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762444622
• ISBN-13: 978-0762444625
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 0.9 x 11.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #347,994 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephen Battaglio is the business editor for TV Guide. His coverage of the television industry has appeared in The New York Times, Fortune, the New York Daily News, The Hollywood Reporter and Inside.com. He has appeared as a media commentator on numerous TV news programs including CBS Sunday Morning, NBC's Today and MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews. He lives in New York City with his wife Candice Agree, a radio host and voiceover artist. Find more photos and information related to his first book David Susskind: A Televised Life at www.davidsusskindatelevisedlife.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveBattaglio.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Sunrise on TV November 28, 2011

By wogan TOP 50 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

This is a book that poses as a coffee table book, but the interest lies more in the text than the pictures, although there are plenty of pictures, mostly of the Today show `family'.
It is a treat; especially for those old enough to remember the original Today shows with Dave Garroway and how strange it was to have a program like this on so early in the morning. We could look over Garroway's shoulder and see the people of New York and he helped us to understand what was going on in the world. More than that, this book is successful in showing how these people working on Today have become a part of America's family and have added a personalization to the news

The criticisms of the show and the personalities are covered, as are the problems of the broadcasts themselves and personality conflicts. It is not a glossed over presentation.
The book covers the birth of the show and does a very good job on describing the network and advertisers of the 50's and then how women came to gain a more important role on the Today Show and in the news industry. The book is divided into the decades and there are interviews with the major personalities that have worked on the show.
One jarring item in the layout is the interruption of the text with these interviews. We are left in mid-sentence for multiple pages which can be very off putting in the flow of thought.
The significant broadcasts such as Kennedy's funeral, Charles and Diana's wedding and 9/11 are all well covered with how the shows were presented to the thoughts of those working on the broadcasts.

This is a history, not just of the Today Show, but of television, news broadcasting and a social history too. Those interested in all of these fields would enjoy this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect Christmas gift for the TV fan in your family! December 20, 2011

By Bruce Fretts

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I grew up watching "Today" with my parents, and Battaglio's book brought back fond memories of Joe Garagiola, Gene Shalit, Willard Scott and more. FROM YESTERDAY TO TODAY features terrific photos and well-reported prose--and it doesn't gloss over the show's more awkward moments, like the bungled transition from Jane Pauley to Deborah Norville. Plus, you get the inside story of TV's most beloved monkey, J. Fred Muggs. What more could you want?

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Eraly morning TV memories December 19, 2011

By Hooch

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I grew up watching the Today show . Just like the author wrote ,I remembered J Fred Muggs and watched the show just so I could see what he would do that day. I remember laughing so hard I thought I would throw up as Jack Lescoulie did his Fearless Forcast on Friday and his recap of college football scores on Monday.