
Actually, I missed her entire tenure at the show. I haven’t watched morning television since Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel left “Today,” and it’s simply because I’ve changed my schedule. I used to wake up, eat breakfast and read the morning papers while the show was on. Now? I don’t read “papers” anymore; I browse them online while I eat. Then I start my writing day.
But it’s weird how old habits don’t necessarily die hard. I was a “Today” show watcher for years and then, suddenly, I stopped and never missed it. I don’t miss the interviews. I don’t miss the cooking segments. I don’t miss the gags out on the plaza with Al Roker. I don’t miss listening to Ann Curry read the news in that earnest, cloyingly sweet way of hers.
I do wish I’d spent more time with Meredith Viera though. I respect the choices she’s made in her career (not counting hosting “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire”) – from bumping up against her bosses at CBS News when she was pregnant to stepping down from “Today” to spend more time with her kids and her husband, who has M.S. and has had colon cancer.
What I really wish is that I could interview her for my caregiver book. I’m sure she’d have a lot to say about having a spouse with a chronic illness while juggling career and family. I just need to find someone who knows her and can put in a good word for me. If you’re out there, someone, please tell her I’ll only need 30 minutes on the phone.