All language subtitles for Dark.Side.Of.The.90s.S02E10.1080p.WEB.h264-BAE

- This is "Today."
- In the '90s...

-Good morning, America!

-...Americans wake up to a war

being fought for
their hearts and minds.

-People ID the '90s as one
of the fiercest times

in morning television
ratings wars.

-TV networks battle over
morning show treasure.

-One of the network
morning shows brings in

about $500 million a year.

That is an enormous
amount of money.

-Heroes will rise.

-And I still can't decide
whether I'm Katherine or Katie.

-Others will fall.

-Good Morning, America.
I'm Joan Lunden.

-I remember being very upset
when I learned

that "Good Morning America"
was going to replace Joan Lunden

with Diane Sawyer.

-The onscreen fun and games

makes a hyper-competitive
world of pirates...

-"I fully am aware that
a tornado came to your town

and killed everyone
in your family,

but it's so important
that you come on our show."

- and predators.

-Where in the world
is Matt Lauer?

-[ Laughs ]

-Yeah, I think it left
a bad taste

in a lot of people's mouths.

No question.

♪♪

[ Dial-up modems screeching ]

♪♪

-For decades, America starts
its day with two things...

Coffee...

- And good morning, everyone.
- And morning TV news.

-Amidst all that, uh...

- Furniture.
- Furniture.

-By the late '80s,
these programs

will have the largest audiences
and generate

the most profits
of any show on network TV.

-This is the new day we've been
talking about for so long.

-Thank you, darling.
I appreciate it.

Some of us already
have worked the weekend.

-But behind the happy talk is a
serious, cutthroat competition.

-Oh, isn't that nice?

-At stake... a billion dollars
in annual ad revenue.

[ Crowd cheering ]
That's billion with a "B."

- "Good Morning America"
is brought to you by

Outback Steakhouse.

-Morning shows are
the cash cow of networks.

-With a sizable premium paid
for being number one.

-Uh-oh. Really hot, huh?

-Whether it's
"Good Morning America"

or the "Today" show, it brings
in about $500 million a year.

That is an enormous
amount of money.

And you're gonna fight
tooth and nail to be number one.

-This is opening day,
today on NBC.

-As these shows battle
to attract viewers,

it will make pawns out
of the guests and their hosts...

-Well, it seems like every day,
it gets worse and worse.

- with the networks
pulling out all the stops

in pursuit of the top spot.

-Let's put it this way...
It's war.

And however you're gonna do it,
you're gonna do it.

-Here's the news and weather
now from Lew Wood. Lew?

-But morning TV
wasn't always a battlefield.

Up until the mid-'80s,

the two shows maintained
a peaceful co-existence,

each occupying its own territory
in the cultural landscape.

- "Today" show was the first
out of the gate,

and they kind of set the format
for morning news.

-The "Today" show is
the granddaddy of all

morning news programs.

NBC launched it in 1952.

-Hosted by Dave Garroway
and his sidekick,

chimpanzee J. Fred Muggs,
"Today" spends 25 years

as America's go-to
for early-morning information.

-There is today in capsule form,
just about this big,

so as you leave the house,
you know where you are

and what's gonna happen to it.

-It was an accidental experiment

that ended up being
very popular.

It was just a camera turned on
live at 7:00 in the morning.

And the idea was to just
tell the people

what the stories
of the news was.

-From the '50s through the '70s,

the "Today" show mirrors back
changes in American society,

with Barbara Walters
evolving from a "Today" girl

reporting from
the Playboy Club...

-I enjoyed seeing you
as a bunny.

- Thank you.
- We have a station break now.

And thank you, Barbara Walters.
- Thank you.

- to the first woman
to co-host a morning show.

- for the details of a story
that many of us are

still having trouble believing
actually occurred.

-Walters helps boost the "Today"
show's appeal to the people

making up the majority
of morning-show viewers.

-The homemaker or the woman who,
if you're not a homemaker,

she certainly has a big say
in how the family's being run.

That's the viewer, they kind of
think about when they are

coming up with all their
different permutations

of news, programming,
and strategy.

- "Today" 's status as the sole
morning news show ends in 1975,

when another network climbs
into the ring.

-ABC wants to get into
the morning game itself,

sees the "Today" show has been
on the air for 20 years.

You know, "Why don't we
have one of these?

And ABC decides to start
trying something else.

-Monday, in this hour...

Jonathan Winters,
our critic on the loose,

Rona Barrett's
"Hollywood Worldwide,"

and in our family-living
feature, Dr. Vivienne Tenney...

-Turning on "Good Morning
America," or "GMA,"

viewers were immediately struck
by how different it looked.

-It was sit in the living room
on a couch,

and it was less about
a news show,

more about a show
in the morning.

-When "Good Morning America"
started in the 1970s,

It turned out to be a successful
hit because what it did

is it took on the "Today" show
by doing something different,

by being more folksy,
by being more America.

I'm Albert Lewitinn,
and in the mid-'90s,

I was a snot-nosed producer
who thought he knew everything.

So I went into morning TV.

-I guess if you really want
to get to the heart of a town,

you'll let the people who live
here tell the story themselves.

-It's all about mom and pop
and their fun little shop

downtown in Springfield,
and, like, isn't this great?

And that was the idea.
"I'm so-and-so.

Good Morning, America."

-Hi, I'm Amy Redman
from Gloucester.

-I'm Gladys Fiddle
from Rockport.

-Good morning, America!

- ♪ Scooby-doo-bee-doo-bee ♪
- Or, or...

-Where today is produced
by NBC News,

GMA is part of
ABC's Entertainment division,

the same folks making
"The Love Boat"

and "Fantasy Island."

But like a dog and their owner,
"GMA" and "Today"

soon start to resemble each
other and, by the mid-'80s,

share more similarities
and differences.

-Everybody had to
kind of figure out,

"How do we maybe do it better

or maybe just do it
differently?"

I'm Jane Robelot,
and in the '90s,

I was waking up
when you were going to bed.

-By the late '80s,
CBS will join the fray

with their own morning show
called "This Morning."

But the self-titled
Tiffany Network,

once home to Edward R. Murrow
and Walter Cronkite,

will approach morning news
quite differently

than NBC and ABC.

-CBS, at the time,
in the '70s and '80s

was an older audience,
really wasn't into like,

the entertainment stuff
that the morning shows did.

-CBS was hard news
all the way through,

but with news-oriented
interviews.

- that says that housing
is not the problem

with the homeless,

but that they are disabled
by severe mental illness.

-It was really slow, and while
the "Today" show and "GMA"

were fighting it, CBS was like,
"Eh, we're on the air."

Like, "You're lucky we're here."
Like, "We're here."

-What do you.
Think this means?

-Morning, Harry.

-It means CBS's commitment
to hard news

will put the network firmly
in third place for, well, ever.

- professionally.

-Meanwhile, with the sets
on "GMA" and "Today"

looking more and more alike,

what sets the shows apart
are the hosts.

-He's going to take a walk
on a California beach

with a "Sports Illustrated"
swimsuit cover girl.

-I didn't get to go.

-Yeah, we knew better than
to send to you.

Also, Whoopi Goldberg.

-People watch morning television
because of the host.

They either feel comfortable
with that personality,

they like them, or they don't.

-You're inviting somebody
into your home

when you haven't
really started your day yet,

you've still got on
your pajamas,

you're just kind of thinking
about what's ahead,

and you really want somebody
who's going to be

warm and credible

and take you gently
through this morning.

-In 1987, after a decade
of finishing behind "Today,"

"GMA" trades in David Hartman

for a young White House
correspondent.

-Charlie Gibson joins us
to continue our daily adventure.

-Adventure. [ Laughs ]

-Gibson will work alongside

the show's veteran co-host,
Joan Lunden.

And together, they will go
head-to-head against "Today" 's

power couple...
Bryant Gumbel and Jane Pauley.

-When Jane Pauley was the host
of the "Today" show,

she was America's girl.

America's girl.

Jane Pauley, Bryant Gumbel...
Fantastic team.

Bryant Gumbel
was a fantastic host.

-Bryant Gumbel is a master
of the form.

-You, I saw New Year's Day.
Good seeing you.

-What a way to start the year,
with you. That was terrific.

-Well, thank you, sir.

-He is also a dominating
alpha male who,

when first hired, demands
to be named head anchor,

despite Jane Pauley having
already been co-hosting the show

for six years.

-The budget negotiations
and the game of Beat the Clock

that's being played
in Washington

is our top story
of this morning.

John Palmer is gonna give us
an update in just a moment.

-He was a great interviewer,

always very well-studied
on everything,

ready to go, great improv,
right down to the second.

-The battle for morning TV
supremacy is on

with both shows featuring
a male anchor

paired up with
a female co-anchor

who is smart, warm,
beautiful, and blonde.

-It's a certain look
that all of a sudden

becomes the look, the archetype.

It's a family atmosphere.

It's fun.

-It felt very much
like a family.

That's how
the show was structured.

I'm Rita Barry-Corke.

When I went to work
at "Good Morning America,"

the hosts were Charlie Gibson
and Joan Lunden,

the dynamic duo
of morning television.

-We will look back
at "Sergeant Pepper's

Lonely Hearts Club Band"

two decades later,
if you can believe that.

- Got a free album here?
- No, there's nothing in it.

See this? [Laughs]
Just a prop.

-That's the way it works
in television.

-How could you not fall
in love with them?

People did. Charlie was always
such a total gentleman.

And Joan... she was your sister,

your mother,
your girlfriend, your daughter.

And that formula worked.

You know, we took over in the
first slot for quite some time.

-With weatherman
Spencer Christian,

Charlie and Joan's
onscreen chemistry

leaves "Today" show executives
in unfamiliar territory...

Second place,

and with the gap widening
between their show and "GMA."

-Over at "Today,"
there's some concern.

"What's going on here?
Why is this happening?"

And producers asked
Bryant Gumbel,

then the kind of lead anchor,
to offer his own diagnosis

of what's going on
with the show.

He lets loose.

He says that Willard Scott,
the weather man,

the guy who is always, you know,

honoring people
who are turning 100 years old,

is dumbing down the show
and ruining it.

-Aren't they fantastic?

These are a special breed
of onions... a cheese onion.

-He thinks Gene Shalit
is causing problems.

He's very blunt about
what he thinks the problems are.

- No New Year's resolutions?
- Yeah, to be a good boy.

I always said once
I get away from you.

-You got your problems.

-Suddenly, the private
dysfunction at the "Today" show

goes public when someone leaks
Gumbel's memo to the press.

-Gumbel was critical
of his colleagues,

including weatherman
Willard Scott.

-The audience loves the family,

and now, all of a sudden,
the family is squabbling.

Dad doesn't like the weatherman.

Dad doesn't like what his
assignment is every day.

This creates the perception
that the family is fighting.

-Gumbel tried to reassure
his viewers

that the "Today" staff
is a happy family.

-But rest assured that our
"Today" family is intact

and still smiling,
albeit through some pain.

We'll still be here

long after the recent
headlines are forgotten.

Enough said.

-But not everyone
will still be there.

With its morning show
still trailing "GMA,"

NBC decides to break up

the "Today" family
by engineering a divorce.

-All of a sudden,
they bring in Deborah Norville

to kind of bring us a new
presence to the show.

And this creates the perception

that they're trying to get
Mom off the show,

that Jane Pauley is being
pushed off by executives

and by Bryant Gumbel.

-You're a tough act to repeat,
and I'm not even gonna try.

-And it creates bad perception
on the program.

And viewers don't like that.

-There is evidence
that women journalists

are now getting fairer
treatment, but are they given

the same credibility
as their male counterparts?

-Of course not.

We haven't come to a point

where two women can be treated
in a professional context

without the word "jealousy"
coming up.

"Jealousy" is
a gender-specific word.

-It's hard to recover from that

when people already feel
you put the knife in.

Whether this is all true or not,

Jane was a beloved presence
there before Bryant Gumbel,

and viewers
just could not take that,

and they would not accept her.

- You're feeling better, I trust?
- I'm over the weather today.

Since I've been under the
weather now for a couple days.

-As a war continues to simmer
at "Today,"

another boils over
on TV screens across America.

-Iraqis also claim
to have downed 33 missiles

like these Tomahawks
on the battleship...

-During the Gulf War,
CNN's 24-hour news cycle

makes it the home
for news junkies

looking to keep up
on the fighting.

Morning shows can't compete,
so they begin to offer

an alternative to CNN's
round-the-clock Iraq coverage.

-Don't be afraid.
Keep with us! [ Laughs ]

-The advent of cable news
in the '90s

was an absolute tectonic shift

in how morning shows
got produced,

because they saw
the news cycle was changing.

Networks got smart.

They realized that morning TV
was entertainment,

and so they adapted
their programs

to make it more entertainment.

-ABC's "Good Morning America"
becomes a surreal oasis

of positive vibes.

-The Army is out scouting
for chocolate

that melts in the mouth,
not in the sand.

That is to say, chocolate bars
that can survive

the 100-plus-degree heat
of Saudi Arabia.

-Sample you just ate came out
of 140 degrees

before you arrived here.

-It's good.

-While Life Is Sweet at "GMA,"

"Today" quickly sours
on its newest co-host.

- "Today" show is sinking,
and the hot rumor

is that they may
drop anchor again.

-In February 1991,
a pregnant Deborah Norville

takes a break from the show.

Her fill-in is a plucky reporter
who got her start in cable news

and who will go on to become
one of the most celebrated hosts

in morning TV history.

-Today, Friday,
February 22, 1991.

-By the start of the '90s,

morning television
is an American staple.

But for those who make it,
it comes at a cost.

-The only thing wrong
with morning TV

is that it happens
in the morning.

Welcome to "This Morning."
I'm Jane Robillard.

-And I'm Jose Diaz-Balart.

It is Friday,
the 23rd of August.

-You can't wait to find out
about that alien life form.

-I've met a few of them,
I think.

-It was brutal.

I was suddenly waking up
at the time of day

that I used to
actually go to sleep.

-For anyone working
in morning TV,

the early hours are the price
you have to pay to stay on top.

-I got up at 4:00,

and I had to be
on the set every day at 5:15.

I'm Gary Stein, and in the '90s,

I was a producer
of "Good Morning America".

And I lead with that
no matter where I am.

That's the first thing I say.

I never thought, when the alarm
went off, that it was for me.

Not in seven years.

[ Alarm clock beeping ]

I was thinking, "My poor wife.
You must have to go somewhere.

What a terrible thing.
Oh, my God, it's me."

I had my briefcase
in the bathroom,

my clothes in the bathroom,

and I would try
not to wake my wife up

and then go downstairs
and get out.

We had to figure out how to
get through a day in a coma

but behaving like
an awake human.

-This is a very interesting
pair of shoes

that we have on this morning.

-You get dressed in the dark,
you try not to wake up

the family,
and sometimes you slip up.

-Let's talk about brain cells
in the morning shows, shall we?

You'd get up at 1:30, you'd have
to come into the office at 3:00.

Review wires,

look over the script,
make sure it was all fine.

That was done
by the staff previously.

And then you had to present
the show to the anchors at 5:30.

And boy, that better be perfect.

And if not, you would sit there
for the next hour

and rewrite the entire show
in time for air.

-Two hours of live TV a day.

You're shoveling coal
into that furnace

that burns up and it's gone.

The only time people
are gonna talk to you

is when something goes wrong.

-And everything goes wrong for
"Today" co-host Debra Norville,

who, while away on mat leave,
gets replaced by someone

the executives believe
will be better for ratings.

-This is "Today"
with Bryant Gumbel,

Katherine Couric,
and Joe Garagiola.

-Katherine Couric...
Called Katherine at the time...

a former CNN Washington
correspondent and producer,

is brought up to New York and
does very well opposite Brian.

-I still can't decide
whether I'm Katherine or Katie.

Alex, re-rack it for us.
- Katherine Couric.

- Thank you.
- One more time, Alex.

- Katherine Couric.
- Thank you very much.

-When Couric starts to attract
higher ratings,

Norville's five-month
maternity leave

becomes never-ending.

-In case you haven't gotten
the message,

Katie is now
a permanent fixture up here,

a member of our family,
and an especially welcome one.

Deborah Norville is not.

We had some good times here.

-Katie Couric was
America's sweetheart.

She was the girl in high school
that you had a crush on,

that you enjoyed,
that you had fun with.

She was good girl, cheerleader,
"life is good" America.

And that's why she did so well.

-Couric will quickly prove
to be a better foil

to Brian Gumbel's
masculine jocularity.

- How long are you gone?
- I'm gone for nine weeks.

- Why so long?
- [ Sighs ]

-Her first test comes just
a few months into the gig,

when the head anchor
puts the rookie on the spot for,

like Norville before her,
taking maternity leave.

-Not to sound like a martyr,
but it has...

-Uh-oh!
[ Imitates whip snapping ]

-It has been quite a while
since I've had any time off.

-Couric proves
she can hold her own

by giving it back to Gumbel
as good as she gets it.

-How many vacation weeks
do you get a year, Brian?

- What is this?
- And you don't even have a baby.

-I got two of them at home.

-Well, you know,
you don't have to...

- I don't have to what?
- Forget it.

[Whispers] We'll talk about it
during a commercial.

- The guys have the harder part.
- They do?

-Sure.

8:29. We're gonna...

- "Today" now has
a female co-anchor

whose charms can diffuse
the often overbearing Gumbel.

But the show still has
a behind-the-camera move to make

before it can
once again challenge

"Good Morning America"
in the ratings.

-Dick Ebersol, the man
behind the Jane Pauley,

Deborah Norville switch,
stepped down from his job

as overseer of the program.

-His replacement...

An ambitious young producer
named Jeff Zucker.

Every time I see your name,
it is "26-year-old Jeff Zucker,

26-year-old Jeff Zucker."

It's almost like...
- Have it legally changed?

- if people start calling you
26-Year-Old Zucker.

-It's part of the territory now.

-Hired just four years
earlier by NBC

to intern at the Seoul Olympics,

Zucker is promoted
to the top spot

on the network's
most profitable show.

-When he was named
the executive producer,

we were kind of surprised,
you know.

But Jeff had a vision, as well,

and he was able to address
a younger audience.

-He wants to be a news guy.

And I think you see this
kind of first half hour

of "Today" gets very intense

on breaking news
being on the story of the day.

Whether it be O.J. Simpson

or something
happening at the White House,

Jeff wants "Today" to be there

and to be there ahead
of his competitors.

-And he finds a willing
accomplice in Katie Couric.

-Look who wandered in...
President Bush.

Can you stick around
and talk with us?

-While in the White House
interviewing

First Lady Barbara Bush,
Couric is prompted by Zucker

to switch her focus
to the nearby president.

Couric then challenges
Bush on the role he played

in America's unlawful sale
of weapons to Iran.

-Do you have any knowledge

of the Iran-Contra
arms for hostages deal?

-Absolutely not.
And no one has suggested I did.

-Couric's "Today" show exclusive
traps the president in a lie,

and she's celebrated
as a journalistic hero.

Coming just weeks
before the election,

her interview with Bush
contributes to him losing.

-It looks to me like
what George Bush thinks

he can do is kind of breeze in
and say hello to you

and be very gracious
and very cordial and supportive

to and for his wife Barbara
and breeze on out.

And then you dropped him,
just like boom, boom, boom.

-Zucker's plan is to own
morning news

by beating out
his "GMA" competition

on the biggest stories
of the day,

making "Today"
the must-see morning show

for an information-hungry
audience.

-Start by saying
"Exclusive on 'Today, '

first on 'Good Morning America, '
first on the 'Today' show,

nowhere else but..."

These are important parts
of their morning preamble.

They're kind of set-ups
every morning.

-For the bookers and the
producers, it's life and death.

It's life and death

to be the TV morning show
that got whoever.

-We ripped and read
all the stories

from AP Newswire's service.

We'd run down the hall,
pitch them to our line producer,

senior producer,
executive producer,

and they would say yay or nay.

One of the prerequisites
for the job

was to have a suitcase
under your desk,

because if the news
was in Albuquerque,

that's where we went.

If the news was in Florida,
that's where we went.

So the object of the game
was to get the story first,

find the principles
that you wanted to talk to

who could tell that story,
and get there.

-Jeff Zucker's news-first
approach quickly starts eating

into "GMA" 's ratings lead.

-He was competitive to no end

and not only had to be first
but had to be best.

And I don't care how much money
we spend, it's got to get done.

There was no fighting it.
What he wants happened.

Benevolent dictator.

Um... [ Chuckles ]

There is a skill to that.

-Zucker doesn't just
demand good news stories.

He always wants to upgrade how
they're packaged and presented.

He leans on NBC brass to let him
turn "Today" into a spectacle.

Literally.
- Christening a new studio.

Studio 1A on this 20th morning
of June, 1994.

Day one of our studio on
the windows... Studio 1A.

-The live-audience concept
with "Today" was so brilliant.

-So, we're test-driving this
as everyone's watching.

-People who already knew
these folks

because they invite them
into their home every day...

Now they can see them
face-to-face.

What better connection
with viewers is there than that?

- "Today" 's, you know,
on-the-street studio

is a seismic change in the
world of morning TV.

This is a big deal, adds a whole
new element to the show.

It creates all kinds of
interaction with live audiences.

It adds a certain burst of
energy to the "Today" show.

-Along with the Plaza Studio,

Zucker starts to redefine
what constitutes news,

doubling and tripling down on
uncovering tantalizing stories

that once lived mostly
in supermarket tabloids.

And he does so
just in time to help

transform a C-list celebrity
and former professional athlete

into the decade's
biggest newsmaker.

-Later today in Los Angeles,
O.J. Simpson

is expected to make
his first court appearance.

-Jeff Zucker aggressively covers
the so-called trial

of the century,
packaging it as an exposé

on race, crime,
and status in America.

-You talk about a gamble
that backfired.

-I was gonna say,
that was quite a risk.

-And with "GMA" purposely
avoiding daily O.J. coverage,

the "Today" show's ratings soar.

-We've been speculating
on what we might hear.

-When NBC executives
see the success Zucker is having

with his expanded interpretation
of news coverage...

-Rachel, you've gone to some of
the real puppy mills.

What do you see?

- they make a decision
that will change "GMA" forever.

-When "Good Morning America"
first started in the 1970s,

it was run by the
Entertainment division,

and rightfully so,
as an entertainment program.

But as more and more stories
kept creeping into the show,

at some point, it became
more news than entertainment.

And at some point
the News division said,

"Wait a minute,
that's got to be ours.

That can't be
the Entertainment division.

That... we need to run that."

- "GMA" goes from being part
of the Entertainment division

the News division...
It doesn't go well.

News division doesn't know
how to get out of their own way

and make a lifestyle show
that has some news,

rather than a news show
that may nod to lifestyle.

And viewers start leaving.

-With Zucker behind the wheel
and Katie riding shotgun,

"Today" motors to the top spot
in the morning-show ratings.

-The suddenness with which
it went down was just stunning.

-I guess we're gonna try
to make some sense of it all

this morning,
if that's possible.

-So when Bryant Gumbel's
contract comes up

for re-negotiation

and he balks at a 50/50
split of screen time

with his more popular co-host,

Zucker chooses not
to re-sign him.

But in a case of
"Be careful what you wish for,"

Gumbel is replaced by a man

who will forever cast a shadow
over the show.

[ Crowd cheering ]

-This is "Today"
with Katie Couric

and Matt Lauer
[Echoes] and Matt Lauer.

[ Laughter ]

-That's your version.

-Matt Lauer is already the
newsreader on the "Today" show.

People like him.
He's got great energy on set.

It's one of those examples
of the person you think

is already there just gets
more of a role in the job.

-He's a handsome guy.

I mean, you have to admit
he's a handsome guy.

So they said, "Okay,
how do we play that up?

He's the cool guy, but he's also
kind of sexy and he's smart.

And so what do we do to kind of,
like, play off on that?"

-Has anybody seen Katie?

-Yeah!

-Matt and Katie really took off.

[ Crowd cheering ]

-Two American kids
doing the best they can.

Like, that's... that's them.

So they played off on that.
Why not? Why wouldn't you?

-There is this thing
called chemistry.

You two have it.

Why did it happen
for the two of you?

-You know, I like this guy.
There's something about him.

I knew he had that SQ that my
dad says... star quality,

and I just thought he was fun.

-We're gonna meet a couple
of wrestlers this morning.

We're gonna have
a safety program

to help kids stay safe
when they try wrestling.

-But before we get to
all that... That's good.

A safety program
that helps them stay safe.

-Otherwise it would be
ridiculous, wouldn't it?

-Right, exactly.

-With success riding
on the audience

feeling connected to the hosts,

"Today" 's executive producer,
Jeff Zucker,

creates gimmicks
to strengthen those bonds.

-♪ Where in the world is...
Huh! ♪

♪ Matt Lauer? ♪

[ Laughter ]

-Katie, it's kind of
a catchy tune, isn't it?

Where in the world am I?
Well, before I get to that,

let me give you
a couple of hints.

-You want to see your anchor...
Your friend in the morning...

Going on adventures.

You want to see them
trying new things.

-On "Today,"
the games and stunts

take over more of the show...

-Smooth landing!

- leading critics to question

what the antics have to do
with reporting the news.

-At "CBS This Morning," we were
paying attention to the fun

and the stunts that they were
enjoying on the "Today" show,

whether it was getting
dressed up in full makeup

with all kinds of crazy costumes

that you couldn't even
really recognize

who the anchors were
on Halloween,

or "Where in the World
is Matt Lauer?" or Katie Couric

dressed as Peter Pan,
flying across the stage.

I don't remember
ever wanting to be that.

I think it was fun
for their audience.

But we're news.

-Yet being relatable hosts
isn't all fun and games.

When Katie's husband,
Jay Monahan,

is diagnosed
with advanced colon cancer,

Zucker asks her to share
her family's ordeal

with the audience.

-Words, of course,
will never describe

how devastating this loss
has been for me

and my daughters and all of
Jay's family, as well.

-Katie was in mourning
for a while.

I think she was actually...
Was off the show for...

For several weeks at a time.

These things become part
of the audience's daily story.

"How is my friend doing?
How are they feeling?

What's going on with them?
Are they feeling better?

How are they
getting through this?"

This becomes part of the the
daily saga of the "Today" show.

-I speak for everyone
in this building

and I'm sure everyone at home
when I say

it's great to see you
and great to have you back.

- Thank you.
- Thanks.

-Katie and Matt's onscreen
authenticity helps keep "Today"

solidly number one.

And that success makes it
the first stop for newsmakers.

-From NBC News...

-If an American president
had an adulterous liaison

in the White House
and lied to cover it up,

should the American people
ask for his resignation?

-If all that were proven true,

I think that would be
a very serious offense.

That is not gonna
be proven true.

-What is true is that
the "Today" show

is now beating "GMA"
by its biggest margin

since the 1970s.

-At one point, the "Today"

had 6 million
versus "GMA" 's 3 million.

But at one point,
"Good Morning America" saw CBS

beat it very, very,
very briefly.

That means a loss
of ad revenue very quickly.

You can't sit around and wait
for things to get better.

You need to take action
right away.

-ABC said, "Okay,
we've got to fix this.

We've got to do something."

So, what "Good Morning America"
did in the '90s

was tweak and fix.

-Joan Lunden's
17 years as co-host ends.

Charlie Gibson
soon follows her out the door.

-They went through anchor team
after anchor team

after anchor team
because they were trying

to figure out
what is the new magic.

And so year after year,

it was trying to chase
an elusive audience.

-In the '90s, every problem
at ABC News

was solved with one of
two words...

Diane or Barbara.

For the "GMA" ratings problems,

they pick
"Primetime Live" 's Diane.

-Good evening and welcome
to "Primetime."

Ellen DeGeneres will leave ABC.

Her show canceled,
her feelings bruised.

-This is the former
Nixon speech writer,

seen as a very elegant,
cool under pressure newscaster

and the combination they feel is
gonna move things forward.

-Again, we're making a judgment

about what our society
is comfortable with

and what they might
not be comfortable with.

-Aren't we then just enabling
a prejudice in the audience?

-Well, I was going up
against Katie Couric

and Diane Sawyer, really.

I mean, yeah, I was up against
some pretty big star power.

-ABC News also needs someone
tough enough to compete

against the men
running the "Today" show.

They settle on Diane's friend
and news producer Shelley Ross

to be "GMA" 's
new executive producer.

-This is a woman who's
probably as much of a

behind-the-scenes maverick
as Jeff Zucker.

-She was an investigative
producer who did fantastic

for O.J. Simpson's story,

and she pitched the idea
that she would run the show.

Frankly, you have to have a
little bit of balls to be like,

"I'm gonna run this show.
I'm gonna run this show."

-Her first order of business
is run across the country

to personally convince
Charlie Gibson to come back.

-She had the vision of what
the show should be.

She was able to take relatable,
news-oriented concepts

in everybody's daily life
and put that on television.

-Melody has a little battle plan

if you're one of those
who do get laid off.

-So, whether it was problems
with money, finance, family.

-Three sisters on
the same police force

at the same time.

-Education. Child raising.

-Did you know there is
an epidemic of ecstasy use

among eighth graders?

-All of those issues that people
have in their hearts,

she said, "Wait a minute.
That's... That's the show."

And that's what made
the difference.

-Diane Sawyer and Charles Gibson

are a breath of fresh air
for "Good Morning America."

Plus, Shelley Ross
behind the scenes,

pushing, pushing, pushing.

This combination

starts eating into "Today" 's
lead with with Katie and Matt

and puts things
on more of an even keel.

-But Shelley Ross
and Diane Sawyer

aren't content
to being a closer second.

They want to win and strategize
how to end Jeff Zucker

and Katie Couric's dominance
of morning television.

-We sat in meetings at
"Good Morning America"

and we said, "Holy crap,
they did that?

How did they do that?
We got to do that.

I don't care
how much money it is.

We have to go figure out
how to do that.

We have to better them
at their game."

-Shelley Ross's commitment
to toppling the "Today" show

from its reign at number one
will transform

the morning show battles
into an all-out shooting war.

-Good morning, America.

-We're here again.
It's Wednesday, June 16, 1999.

-In the summer of 1999,
with ratings on the rise,

"GMA" executive producer
Shelley Ross

singles out one of "Today" 's
huge advantages...

Direct access to their audience

with its Rockefeller Plaza
studio.

- "Good Morning America" looked
at that and said,

"Wait a minute,
we can do the same.

Where are we gonna do that?"

Disney owned a building
in Times Square,

so let's just do it there.

Created a duplex
street-front studio,

so it was was twice the size
of the "Today" show.

-It was amazing. I mean,
we had an upstairs studio,

state-of-the-art control room,
the audience was downstairs.

It was great.
It was a... It was a playground.

-They had a beautiful panoramic
shot of Times Square

in every opening of the show.

So, being competitive,
being Jeff Zucker,

he was like, "Okay, let me see
how I'm gonna... with them,

and here's how we're gonna do.

I'm gonna go buy
that billboard across from them.

So anytime they take a pan shot,

they have no choice
but to hit my billboard."

-That's a real... That's a real
poke in the ribs.

Suddenly, cameras that may have
"Good Morning America"

on the air have Katie and Matt
on the background outside.

-Yeah, it was a bit of
a "...you"

to "Good Morning America",
but it was also,

like, a way of saying,

"Okay, you want to play
our game?

Here's how we're gonna
play the game."

-Despite Zucker's
billboard stunt,

there are signs "Today"
is losing ground.

In just over a year from Diane
and Shelley taking over "GMA,"

The show gains an additional
1 million viewers,

cutting into
"Today" 's lead and revenue.

- We thank them.
- We do.

We love you for coming out
in the middle of this soup.

Now that Ross has leveled the
playing fields logistically,

the war between her and Zucker

comes down to the number-one
rule in the mornings.

-When we come back, the renowned
scientist Jane Goodall.

-Be first.

-Rosie O'Donnell breaks her
silence to Diane Sawyer.

A "Good Morning America"
exclusive Thursday.

-We would persuade them to come
on "Good Morning America"

to tell their story and give us
their story exclusively.

We would always ask
if they would go on "GMA" first

and only first.

-Under standards and practices,

you weren't allowed
to pay for stories.

So what you would have to do
is figure out a way

to kind of convince the guests
to come on the program

without actually paying them.

There's a skill to walk up
to somebody and say,

"I fully am aware that a tornado
came to your town

and killed everyone
in your family,

but please, it's so important
that you come on our air

and tell us why it's important
that people need to hide

when the alarms go off."

The way to get the guests
to come on sometimes is to say,

"Oh, is that Grandma's picture
of the entire family?

And wait, two of those members

of the family
aren't around anymore

because the tornado
came in through your house

and destroyed your house?

Can we buy that picture from you
for like $10,000?

It'll pay for a new house."

-Some of these bookers stop
at nothing to get their guest.

And that means even
when you say you're going to

"Good Morning America" or
the "Today" show, that's not...

They don't take no for
an answer... they'll keep trying

till you're added...
Till you're on the set

of the competitor, onscreen,
making the first appearance.

These are intense things
that people will not give up on.

And I think they felt
that ratings,

and therefore millions
of dollars,

can go up or down
based on who you can book first.

[ Horn honks ]

-The two shows even resort
to espionage.

-There were some times
when you'd arrive at that hotel

with your guest
to check them in,

and standing right there
in the lobby of the hotel,

you would recognize a booker
from another program.

It was always amusing,
but it was also a hint

that it was time to make sure
that you watched that guest

really carefully.

-I would put you in a hotel
by the airport

under my mother's maiden name
so that nobody would know.

And then I would post
a security guard on the floor

because I didn't want anyone

coming in
and stealing my guests.

I don't care who
the... you were,

you were not coming anywhere
near my guests.

-A guest would be waiting
at a hotel for a car

to pick them up
to bring to the studio.

And another show would show up
with a car and say,

"Come on, get in."
Before you know it,

they'd be in the chair
giving the interview.

-I would hire a PA to do nothing
but show them around New York.

I'd be like, "Okay,
get them on one of those

double-decker buses,"

because if I see them
on the 'Today' show,

I'm gonna... kill you
and I'm gonna fire you.

Probably... kill you
and then fire you."

-As the war between
Zucker's "Today" show

and Ross's "Good Morning
America" intensifies,

so do the lengths
the producers will go

to sabotage their rivals.

When "GMA" puts on an early
morning concert in Bryant Park,

Zucker orders a helicopter
to buzz the crowd.

And when "Today" books
a bride from

"Who Wants to Marry
a Multi-Millionaire?"

"GMA" swoops in, pre-taping

an earlier interview
with the coveted guest.

-What we would do is say,

"Oh, you should come
do our newscast

and then we'll take you
to the other one. It's fine.

We'll take... We'll take you
to the other one.

I promise you, we will.
It'll be fine. It's not live TV.

It's just you and I
talking on camera."

-How many nights have you cried
yourself to sleep since this?

-How many nights has it been
since the show?

-We would do that.
We would do a 6:15 pre-tape.

And then, "So you didn't make it
in time for the other newscast?

Oh. Well, that's too bad."
[ Chuckles ]

-Eventually, the antics between
the two shows get so heated

that EPs Zucker and Ross
connect to hash things out.

-What I've heard is that Shelley
and Jeff would get on the phone,

basically Reagan/Gorbachev
style,

and say, "Okay, all right,

let's figure out how
we're gonna do this,

properly and civilly."

She was on the phone with Jeff
a good chunk of the time saying,

"No, you can't do that,"
or "Yes, okay.

You know what?
I'll do it this way.

Just you got to back
your people off."

-Despite her ruthless passion
to win, Shelley Ross

is never able to fully
close the gap on her rival.

In October of 2000, NBC adds
a third hour of "Today,"

banking an additional 70 million
in annual profits.

Two months later,
Zucker caps off his six-year

winning streak on "Today"
with a promotion

to head of the network,
ending the biggest

producer-on-producer
grudge match in TV history.

Leaving the "Today" show, he
became the CEO of NBC Universal.

He has changed TV as a genre

many times in his career
by trying new things

and never being willing
to kind of end the games.

He never, never lets it go.

-As the country enters
the new millennium,

the future of morning TV
remains with Katie Couric,

Diane Sawyer, and Shelley Ross.

But behind the scenes,
there's a male toxicity

that's been brewing
for some time,

and it's about to boil over.

-Absolutely the most amazing man

that America
has ever created, ever.

-Okay. I have got to
interrupt you right now.

We want to go live right now
and show you a picture

of the World Trade Center,
where I understand...

Do we have it? No, we do not.

-We just got a report in

that there has been
some sort of explosion.

-At 8:46 a.m.
on September 11, 2001,

the morning shows
find themselves

in the middle of an
unprecedented American tragedy.

-As Matt just mentioned,

we have a breaking news story
to tell you about.

-9/11... one of the nation's
biggest tragedies.

You're in unchartered territory
on both morning shows.

Never before has a crisis

of this magnitude
happened during broadcast hours.

-Oh, another one just hit!
Something else just hit.

A very large plane just
flew directly over my building.

-To see two planes hit
the Twin Towers at 8:45

in the middle of
a cooking segment?

Wait, what?

-In the days and weeks
following 9/11,

the Today show is consumed
by the story, and ratings lag.

-I think it impacted our show
even more than our competition.

We didn't have that chemistry

because all we were talking
about was death and heartache.

We didn't then turn
to each other and say,

"Wasn't that fun?" Or,
"What did you do this weekend?"

-And at "GMA",

audiences are eased into
a more prosaic future.

-So, you think forward
a little bit and off you go.

And then you turn to the left.
You just come back around.

Oh, I'm sorry.
Gonna run into you.

-Worried about losing
Katie Couric

during the ratings slump,
the now president of NBC,

Jeff Zucker, signs her
to a record-breaking contract.

-Katie Couric signed
a five-year deal

at more than
$16 million in total.

Hosts can become really
entrenched in their positions.

They need to have them.
They're the center of the show.

Their salaries go...
Get quite high.

I believe, at one point,
Diane Sawyer is making

about $12 million per year.

Those are big numbers.

-But the numbers that count
are the ratings.

And while Shelley Ross and "GMA"

continue to close
the gap on "Today,"

she never quite manages
to win the top spot.

Her brash management style

leads some to celebrate her
departure in 2006.

-Shelley Ross did shake up
the culture quite a bit,

and I think,
by the end of her tenure,

was seen as maybe
pushing too hard,

being too much
of a tough boss to take.

The culture was getting
a little too rough-and-tumble,

and it was not
where they wanted to be.

-Ironically, in Shelley Ross's
time at "GMA,"

we did not become
the number-one show.

But I think because
of a lot of things

that she brought into the show,

it ultimately led to us
going back to being number one.

-Finally, in the spring of 2012,
"GMA" earns its first one-week

ratings win over the "Today"
show in over 17 years.

Katie Couric has long since
retired from morning TV,

leaving the show in the hands
of her long-time

headline-grabbing co-anchor,
Matt Lauer.

-There have long been
whispers of Lauer

not having a happy marriage.

Tabloids are always
on him about,

you know, was he
seeing somebody or not?

Was he... Was he dating
someone on the side?

It's documented now that Lauer
was perhaps having relations

with people on staff
at "Today" show.

-Despite the off-screen drama,

the show's troubles are blamed
on long-time newsreader

and recently promoted
co-host, Ann Curry,

who's abruptly shuffled off
the anchor desk.

-This is not easy to say,
but today is going to be

my last morning
as a regular co-host of "Today."

-It's a move that shocks
not only the audience,

but Curry, as well.

-This is not expe... as I
expected to ever leave

this couch after 15 years,
but I am so grateful.

-Around the time
of her departure,

Curry says she warned NBC
executives about Matt Lauer,

saying, "I told management
they had a problem

and they needed
to keep an eye on him

and how he deals with women."

Five years later, Matt Lauer
would be fired from the show

following allegations
of sexual misconduct.

-I think the idea that you had
a morning show host

whose off-screen behavior
was unpleasant,

unsavory, hard to hear about,
hard to listen about...

Yeah, I think it left
a bad taste

in a lot of people's mouths.

No question.

-Shelley Ross finds herself
at the center of

the MeToo movement reckoning
when she accuses

Fox News icon Roger Ailes
of sexual harassment.

-It's everywhere.

It's everywhere I worked,
and it has many levels.

You think,
since we report on it,

that our colleagues
should know better,

that they should be
a little more elevated,

and they're not.

-Yet despite all the turmoil,
morning TV marches on.

-These days, it's neck-and-neck.

I mean, "Good Morning America"
and "Today."

-And it is a back-and-forth

now between the "Today" show
and "Good Morning America".

It's still a constant fight.

-Albeit in a somewhat
reduced capacity.

-Everything changed when the
smartphone came into the game.

No longer needed morning TV.

I no longer need to turn over

when I wake up in the morning
and turn the TV on.

I turn over
and look at my phone.

"Did the world explode?
Oh, good, it didn't explode.

That's fine. That's good.
Thank you."

That's the difference.

"Today" show and "GMA" have gone
into the streaming world

because they see that people
are cutting the cord.

The future is on the phone,
the future is mobile,

the future is digital.

"Oh, did so-and-so die?
That's terrible.

Okay, fine. Great. Thank you."
Slide.

"Oh, did that fire happen?

Oh, my God, I didn't know that.
All right, good."

That's morning show.