NBC’s Today will take a loving look back at when it was tops in the ratings, on December 30, when it brings back former anchors Bryant Gumbel and Jane Pauley to co-anchor the morning show. Gumbel and Pauley were co-anchors of Today another time it found itself playing second fiddle to ABC’s Good Morning America in the ratings. Their pairing is credited with putting Today back on top eventually. Maybe they’ll talk about that. And, yes, Matt Lauer will be there too December 30, in case they scare up a big crowd.
Pauley left the show — or was eased out for the younger Deborah Norville, depending on your source – in 1989. Gumbel left in 1997 to anchor a primetime newsmagazine on CBS. That did not go well. Gumbel got back together with his anchors once before during Today‘s 60th anniversary, in January 2012; Pauley still appears on the show monthly for a segment in which she spotlights Americans over 50 embarking on new careers.
