'Today' Show Fifth Hour Is Being Considered by NBC News

“Today” show fans might have something exciting to look forward to if NBC News pulls through. According to “Variety,” the network is considering adding a fifth hour to show on weekdays.

The revelation reportedly came from two people who are familiar with the matter. In an interview, Noah Oppenheim, the president of NBC News, said:

“We like serving our audience on any given day of the week. There’s enough going on to fill 24 hours of television.”

What slots would the “Today” show fill

Oppenheim also gave a hint of what slots the new hour of “Today” would fill by suggesting that it wouldn’t be earlier. Currently, the show airs from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and currently supports NBC’s daytime schedule.

As much as the news might be exciting, the NBC News president made it clear that “There are no imminent plans for it.” The network has, however, reworked its entire suite of “Today” programs.

Some of the reworking NBC News did

Al Roker, Sheinelle Jones, Craig Melvin, and Dylan Dreyer are now currently the co-anchors of the 9 a.m. hour. The show’s Saturday’s now feature two Washington correspondents Peter Alexander, and Kristen Welker.

NBC News has also changed Willie Geist’s “Sunday Today” to make it compete with “CBS Sunday Morning.” On top of that, the broadcaster recently announced that the 10 a.m. hour of “Today,” would incorporate a live studio audience twice a week starting from February 2020.

The network is always working on innovating

The 10 a.m. hour is currently hosted by Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager. Oppenheim explained these changes saying: “I think we are always looking for ways to extend the brand and our talent.”

NBC New’s president praised their “Today” saying how much people liked the “kind of content” they created. He also commended their team noting how good they were at their work.

How NBC News survived losing Megyn Kelly

In October 2018, NBC News found itself needing to remake the 9 a.m. edition of “Today” in a rush. At the time, Megyn Kelly’s morning hour, “Megyn Kelly Today” had just been canceled.

Getting Kelly’s hour to its former glory

Jackie Levin, the executive producer of the third hour, shared that the changes were done “very quickly, and without much notice.” The time slot lost a substantial number of viewers.

However, with hard work and years of industry knowledge, the staff was able to turn things around to get the slot to its former glory.