Al Roker
Born	August 20, 1954 (1954-08-20) (age 53) Queens, New York, USA
Occupation	Weather Forecaster, Television Personality, Radio Personality
Website www.alroker.com

Albert Lincoln "Al" Roker, Jr. (born August 20, 1954) is an American television broadcaster, best known as the weather anchor for NBC's Today show. He holds American Meteorological Society Television Seal #238. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 477 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (480 × 603 pixel, file size: 77 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Author: Al Roker Copyright holder: Al Roker Productions, Inc. ... is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar). ... Queens is geographically the largest of the five boroughs of New York City in the United States, and the most ethnically diverse county in the U.S. It is coterminous with Queens County in the State of New York and is located on western Long Island. ... Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized... If youre looking for the revolutionary communist Weather Underground Organization, see Weathermen Weather forecasting is the science (or some argue that it is an art) of predicting the state of the atmosphere for a future time and location. ... A celebrity is a person who is widely recognized in a society. ... a Radio Personality is the modern incarnation of the disk jockey, or DJ. In the 1990s, successful radio stations began to focus less on the musical expertise of their hosts and more on the individual hosts personalities. ... is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about the television network. ... The Today Show, officially known as Today, is an American morning news and talk show airing weekday mornings on NBC. Debuting on January 14, 1952, it was the first of its genre, spawning similar morning news and entertainment television programs across the United States and around the world. ... The American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. ...

Personal life

Born in the New York City borough of Queens, New York, in 1954, Roker initially wanted to be a cartoonist before he got into television. He was raised Catholic (in the faith of his devoutly Catholic mother) and graduated from the prestigious Xavier High School in Manhattan.^[1] He worked on several projects as a member of the school's Cartooning & Illustration club. He attended the State University of New York at Oswego where he double majored in graphic design and broadcasting/journalism in college. He worked in television around the Cleveland and New York areas before he became a weatherman for WNBC in New York City. New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... This article is about the borough of New York City. ... Xavier High School is an all-boys Jesuit university-preparatory high school located in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. ... This article is about the borough of New York City. ... The State University of New York at Oswego, also known as Oswego State and SUNY Oswego, was founded in 1861 as Oswego Normal School by Edward Austin Sheldon and became the New York State Teachers College at Oswego in 1948. ... For broadcast stations that previously used the WNBC call sign, see WNBC (disambiguation). ...

In 2001, Roker had a knee operation. In 2002, in accordance with his late father's wish, Roker underwent gastric bypass surgery to lose weight, which he said he did after failing at numerous diets. Eight months after the surgery, the New York Daily News reported he dropped 100 pounds (45 kg) off his 320-pound figure.^[2] In 2005 Roker had a back operation. Since then, he appears to have regained some weight.^[3] Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, or simply gastric bypass surgery, is a procedure almost exclusively used in surgical weight loss applications to correct morbid obesity. ... Measuring body weight on a scale Dieting is the practice of ingesting food in a regulated fashion to achieve a particular objective. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

His wife is fellow journalist Deborah Roberts, who has done reporting for both ABC and NBC where she met Roker when she first joined the network in 1990 as a reporter. They both worked together on Today from 1990-1995 with Roberts filling in for Faith Daniels, Margaret Larson and Matt Lauer at the Newsdesk and Roker filling in for Willard Scott as the weatherman. Al Roker has three children. Deborah Roberts born September 20, 1960 is an ABC News correspondent. ... The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American television network. ... This article is about the television network. ... Faith Daniels (March 9, 1957, Wheeling, West Virginia) became nationally known for her role in anchoring some of Americas most popular news and talk show programs. ... Margaret Larson is a 25-year broadcast journalist. ... Matthew Todd Lauer (December 30, 1957)[2] is an American television personality, best known as a co-host of NBCs The Today Show (since 1994)[2] after being a news anchor in New York [3] and a local talk-show host in Boston, Philadelphia, Providence, and Richmond. ... Willard Herman Scott, Jr. ...

Career

In the 1990s, he was the host of a CNBC show, and, in 1996-1997 hosted a game show on MSNBC called Remember This?. This article is about CNBC U.S., the business news channel in the U.S.. For other uses, see CNBC (disambiguation). ... For the news website, see msnbc. ... Remember This? was a College Bowl/Its Academic-typed weekend game show that tested contestants knowledge of facts behind the NBC News headlines. ...

Roker started getting more exposure, especially when David Letterman asked him to do an elevator race with him in one episode of his talk show Late Night with David Letterman, which taped across the hall from WNBC's news studio in the GE Building. That led Roker to getting a job as the weatherman for Weekend Today, where he did the weather for nine years. He also substituted on the weekday edition of Today when Willard Scott was ill or away. In 1996, Scott announced his semi-retirement from the show, and Roker received the weekday weatherman position on Today, where he has been since. He officially joined Today on January 26, 1996. Roker became popular for doing his forecasts outside of the studio, interviewing audience members and giving some of them camera time. Roker also began doing more interviews and segments on the show as time progressed. David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947, in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.) is an Emmy Award-winning American television host and comedian. ... A talk show (U.S.) or chat show (Brit. ... Late Night with David Letterman was a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC hosted by David Letterman. ... GE Building at Rockefeller Center The GE Building at night Close-up against the night sky At night, from the ground View from Top of the Rock at dusk The GE Building is a slim gothic skyscraper and the focal point at the Rockefeller Center. ... Weekend Today, is an American morning news and talk show airing weekend mornings on the NBC television network. ... Willard Herman Scott, Jr. ... The Today Show, officially known as Today, is an American morning news and talk show airing weekday mornings on NBC. Debuting on January 14, 1952, it was the first of its genre, spawning similar morning news and entertainment television programs across the United States and around the world. ...

In 2005, Roker was doing a report from inside Hurricane Wilma. A popular viral video exists on the internet of Roker being swept off his feet by the force of the hurricane and holding on to his cameraman. Lowest pressure 882 mbar (hPa; 26. ... The term viral video refers to video clip content which gains widespread popularity through the process of Internet sharing, typically through email or IM messages, blogs and other media sharing websites. ...

Roker is a huge game show fan, as he hosted a week long segment on Today in honor of five game shows and their hosts. He also appeared as a celebrity player on both Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!. In 2008, Roker is expected to host the NBC celebrity primetime version of Family Feud.^[4] (Al Roker replaced Meredith Vieira for a week of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire shows on March 5-9, 2007.) This article is about the current, syndicated nighttime edition of the U.S. game show, which began in 1983. ... Jeopardy redirects here. ... This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Meredith Vieira (born December 30, 1953) is an Emmy Award-winning American television personality, game show hostess and journalist. ... In the United States, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (also known simply as Millionaire) is a television game show which offers a maximum prize of $1,000,000 (originally lump sum; now annuitized) for correctly answering 15 successive multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty. ...

Roker also hosts various programs on The Food Network, namely Roker on the Road and Tricked-Out Tailgating. He is also the author of several non-fiction books, and an avid barbecue enthusiast. Television Food Network, normally referred to as Food Network, is a New York-based cable network that airs many specials and recurring (episodic) shows about food, food preparation, at-home entertaining, and restaurants. ... For other uses, see Author (disambiguation). ... For the book by Chuck Palahniuk titled Non-fiction, see Stranger Than Fiction: True Stories. ... A barbecue on a trailer at a block party in Kansas City. ...

He is the host of a new show called Celebrity Family Feud slated to begin airing on 24 June 2008.^[5][6] This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

Controversy

After Don Imus made controversial comments on his radio show about the Rutgers University women's basketball team, Al Roker expressed his outrage on his blog. He wrote: John Donald Don Imus, Jr. ... Rutgers redirects here. ... This article is about the sport. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

"I, for one, am really tired of the diatribes, the 'humor' at others' expense, the cruelty that passes for 'funny.' Don Imus isn't the only one doing this, but today he's the one in the hot seat."^[7]

On May 8, 2007, when going to commercial, Al Roker was heard off camera saying the word "Mammy" while two women were on screen receiving mud facials for another show segment. This was in response to the two women appearing to be in blackface.^{[citation needed]} On June 7, 2007, Roker referenced the Olympic logo for 2012: This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Facials may include the use of a facial mask. ... This reproduction of a 1900 minstrel show poster, originally published by the Strobridge Litho Co. ... Olympic Games Summer Olympic Games Medal count Winter Olympic Games Medal count Olympic sports Medal counts Participating NOCs Olympic symbols Olympics WikiProject Olympics Portal Athens 2004 • Beijing 2008 Torino 2006 • Vancouver 2010 ...

Remember that controversial Olympic logo for the 2012 Olympics in London? Some folks have complained that the campaign actually sent them into epileptic seizures. Well, we asked you to weigh in on our website in an informal poll; those of you who could get up off the floor after shaking around were able to actually log in . . . Epilepsy (often referred to as a seizure disorder) is a chronic neurological condition characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures. ...

The following day Roker stated, "I started joking about [the logo]. I want to make this clear - I was not joking about epilepsy or anyone who suffers from epilepsy. We understand and know that this is a serious affliction and would never joke about that. We were joking about the logo - not about epilepsy. If anybody was offended, I heartily and really humbly apologize."^[8] On July 19, 2007, Roker was scheduled to appear on the Opie & Anthony Show to talk about the incident, but at the last minute Roker cancelled.^[9] Opie and Anthony Opie (Gregg Hughes, 1965- ) and Anthony (Anthony Cumia, 1963- ) are the hosts of the satellite radio program The Opie and Anthony Show. ...

Signature phrases

• In many occasions on Today he has used the phrase "man candy" to describe attractive males.^[10]

• At the end of his weather segments when they cut to local broadcasters for regional updates he says "That's what's going on around the country, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods."

The Today Show, officially known as Today, is an American morning news and talk show airing weekday mornings on NBC. Debuting on January 14, 1952, it was the first of its genre, spawning similar morning news and entertainment television programs across the United States and around the world. ...

Other appearances and activities

• On April 1, 2008, Roker made his first appearance on The Howard Stern Show.

• In the 2002 animated series The Proud Family, he occasionally appeared as a genie-like man who grants wishes at a horrible price, and he was also a weatherman named Al Roker.

• In 2003, he lent his voice to the intrepid reporter Sam Vander Rom in the math-mystery cartoon Cyberchase on PBS Kids GO!, appearing in three episodes, including "The Wedding Scammer", which is a send-up of annual wedding on Today.

• He has starred in the Internet flash game Al Roker and the Escape from the Haunted House (or, for short, Al Roker's Haunted House).

• Roker was also the weatherman for several radio stations, including the New York smooth jazz radio station WQCD (101.9 FM) and for Cleveland, Ohio smooth jazz station WNWV (107.3 FM). The service was called the "Al Roker Radio Weather Network," it was provided by United Stations Radio Networks. He has since been replaced on those networks by John Wetherbee.^{[11] [12]}

• Roker was jokingly "outed" as an alien in the film Men in Black.

• Roker was parodied as the weatherman "the great, reliable, portly, Big Al" in the Chappelle's Show skit "Reparations for Slavery". Big Al changes his voice from white-audience friendly (an imitation of Roker's onscreen persona) to "gangsta" and reveals that his real name is Alton Sims.

• In the episode of The Simpsons entitled "Brake My Wife, Please", Homer Simpson is mistaken for Roker.

• Al Roker holds the record for most guest appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, with over 30.^[13] Roker is considered one of Late Night's "go to" guys—along with comedian and commentator Al Franken, who has the second most appearances—whenever a scheduled guest cancels.

• Is the cousin of The Jeffersons star Roxie Roker and her son Lenny Kravitz.

• Famous painter Mike Jennings of Alamo, California, has begun work on a mural to Al Roker in order to express his fan adoration.

• Al Roker is the basis for the animated series Family Guy's character of Ollie Williams, the meteorologist on Quahog 5 News known for his BlaccuWeather forecast (the name a play on AccuWeather).

• His name is mentioned by Alex in Madagascar.

• Appears as himself at the end of the Seinfeld episode "The Cigar Store Indian" where he steals Jerry's gyro sandwich when he rode on the subway with Elaine after she ruined Frank's TV Guide that had Roker on the cover.

• Was a guest star on the animated talk show Space Ghost Coast to Coast in the episode titled "Chambraigne", where he lauded the merits of shampoo which claimed to increase the user's intelligence.

• On the February 28, 1998 episode of Saturday Night Live (hosted by David Duchovny), Roker appeared in a "Mango" sketch with Matt Lauer. Usually, the sketch follows the fruitless pursuit of Mango by a character (portrayed by the host). In the middle of this particular sketch, Roker appeared as the object of Lauer's affection. Instead of the famous catch-phrase "Mango, Mango!" Lauer says, "Roker, ROKER!!"

• For a while after becoming the regular weatherman for Today, Roker returned to WNBC's show Live at Five with a trivia segment known as "Al's Tidbit".

• In New York City, August 20 (Roker's birthday) is "Al Roker Day".^{[citation needed]}

• Al Roker made an appearance on 30 Rock on April 5, 2007. During the Today show of that day, the appearance was heavily talked about.

• Al Roker's name was mentioned in the Drawn Together episode Lost in Parking Space: Part 1

• Roker was parodied in Mad Magazine #386 in the song "Livin' to Feed Al Roker" (to be sung to the tune of Ricky Martin's "Livin' La Vida Loca").

• Al Roker was shown reporting the weather on the movie, Unaccompanied Minors. He was also mentioned later in the movie.

• In the Broadway musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, composer-lyricist David Yazbek has one character refer in a song to playing "poker with Al Roker."

• Roker is well-known as one of New York's best amateur jam-makers, with his raspberry being particularly delicious.^{[citation needed]}

• Roker is an avid audiophile.^{[citation needed]}

• In 2007, Roker became an official supporter of Ronald McDonald House Charities and is a member of their celebrity board, called the Friends of RMHC.^[14]

• Al Roker served as the official spokesperson for Amtrak's National Train Day, which took take place on May 10, 2008. ^[15]

is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the radio show hosted by Howard Stern. ... The Proud Family was an American animated television series that aired on Disney Channel from September 15, 2001 to August 19, 2005 // The Proud Family is a comedic sitcom based on semi-dramatic situations that revolve around the main character, 14-year old Penny Proud. ... CyberChase and Cyber Chase redirects here. ... PBS Kids GO! is an educational television brand used by PBS for programs intended at early elementary school children, an older demographic than the separate PBS Kids banner. ... Smooth Jazz, also sometimes referred to as new adult contemporary music,[1] is generally described as a genre of music that utilizes instruments (and, at times, improvisation) traditionally associated with jazz and stylistic influences drawn from mostly R&B, but also funk and pop. ... A radio station is an audio (sound) broadcasting service, traditionally broadcast through the air as radio waves (a form of electromagnetic radiation) from a transmitter to an antenna and a thus to a receiving device. ... WQCD, known on-air as CD 101. ... WNWV is a commercial FM radio station serving the Cleveland, Ohio, USA, radio market (though technically licensed to Elyria). ... United Stations Radio Networks is a radio network providing a wide range of programs and programming servies for radio stations across the US and elsewhere. ... While outing often refers to an outdoor excursion, in the late twentieth century the term acquired an additional meaning: taking someone out of the closet - that is, publicising that someone is gay. ... Men in Black is a 1997 science fiction comedy action film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, starring Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith and Vincent DOnofrio. ... Chappelles Show is an American comedy television series starring comedian Dave Chappelle. ... Simpsons redirects here. ... Brake My Wife, Please is an episode of the fourteenth season of The Simpsons that aired on May 11, 2003. ... Homer Simpson is also a character in the book and film The Day of the Locust. ... Late Night with Conan OBrien is an Emmy Award-winning American late-night talk show on NBC. The second incarnation of NBCs Late Night franchise, OBriens debuted in 1993 after previous host David Letterman moved to CBS to host the Late Show opposite The Tonight Show. ... Alan Stuart Al Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an Emmy Award–winning American comedian, actor, author, screenwriter, political commentator, radio host and, recently, politician. ... Jeffersons redirects here. ... Roxie Roker Roxie Roker (August 28, 1929–December 2, 1995) was an American actress of Bahamian descent who was best known for her groundbreaking role as Helen Willis on the sitcom, The Jeffersons, one half of the first interracial couple to be shown on regular prime-time TV. She also... Leonard Albert Lenny Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and arranger whose retro style incorporates elements of rock, soul, funk, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, folk, and ballads. ... Family Guy is an Emmy Award-winning American animated television series about a dysfunctional family in the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode Island. ... AccuWeather is a large American company that provides weather forecasting services. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Madagascar (film). ... For other uses, see Seinfeld (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the food dish. ... Space Ghost Coast to Coast (SGC2C) is an animated spoof talk show. ... is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... SNL redirects here. ... For the Bree Sharp song, see David Duchovny (song). ... For other meanings of Mango, see Mango (disambiguation) Mango was a character created and developed by SNL writer Scott Wainio, with initial creative contributions by Roy Jenkins, and performed by Chris Kattan on the American sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live. ... Matthew Todd Lauer (December 30, 1957)[2] is an American television personality, best known as a co-host of NBCs The Today Show (since 1994)[2] after being a news anchor in New York [3] and a local talk-show host in Boston, Philadelphia, Providence, and Richmond. ... For broadcast stations that previously used the WNBC call sign, see WNBC (disambiguation). ... Live at Five (or Live at 5) is a name used by several television stations in some countries to refer to their 5:00pm newscasts or talk shows. ... is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the TV series. ... Drawn Together is an American animated television series that uses a sitcom format with a TV reality show setting. ... Harvey Kurtzmans cover for the first issue of the comic book Mad Mad is an American humor magazine founded by publisher William Gaines and editor Harvey Kurtzman in 1952. ... Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), better known by his stage name Ricky Martin, is a Grammy Award and Latin Grammy Award-winning Puerto Rican pop singer who rose to fame, first as a member of the Latin boy band Menudo, then as a solo artist since 1991. ... Livin la Vida Loca (translated as living the crazy life in English) is a hit song by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin. ... Unaccompanied Minors (also called: Grounded: Unaccompanied Minors) is a 2006 film directed by Paul Feig and starring Lewis Black, Wilmer Valderrama, Tyler James Williams, Dyllan Christopher, Brett Kelly, Gina Mantegna, and Quinn Shephard. ... Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a Broadway musical, with music and lyrics by David Yazbek and a book by Jeffrey Lane; it is based on the film of the same name. ... David Yazbek wrote the lyrics to the musical adaptation of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. ... For the domestic fireplace tool, see fireplace poker. ... An audiophile, from Latin audire[1] to hear and Greek philos[2] loving, can be generally defined as a person dedicated to achieving high fidelity in the recording and playback of music . ... Parker Anderson-Stanley, four, is visited by Olympic gold-medalist Cassie Campbell at Ronald McDonald House Southern Alberta in Calgary on Saturday 2006-01-14. ...

References

The Biography Channel (or bio. ... is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... 17 November is also the name of a Marxist group in Greece, coinciding with the anniversary of the Athens Polytechnic uprising. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 153rd day of the year (154th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 291st day of the year (292nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Columbia Journalism Review (CJR) is an American magazine for professional journalists published bimonthly by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... -1... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) [1] is an online database of information about actors, movies, television shows, television stars and video games. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 153rd day of the year (154th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Bahamian American
• The Proud Family

Bahamian Americans are citizens or residents of the United States of Bahamian ancestry. ... The Proud Family was an American animated television series that aired on Disney Channel from September 15, 2001 to August 19, 2005 // The Proud Family is a comedic sitcom based on semi-dramatic situations that revolve around the main character, 14-year old Penny Proud. ...

External links

• Al Roker's personal website
• "Al Roker Investigates" on Court TV
• Al Roker's Bahamas Reunion
• His weblog
• Roker's NBC biography
• Al Roker at the Internet Movie Database
• Food Network's Al Roker page
• Al Roker chats with Mad Dog & Billie on Toronto's MIX FM. Archived from the original on 2007-01-28.