Deborah Norville (born August 8, 1958 in Dalton, Georgia) is an American television broadcaster and journalist. Since 1995, she has been host of the syndicated American television program Inside Edition. She hosted Today on NBC, substitute anchored both the NBC Nightly News, and the weekend CBS Evening News, and was a host and correspondent for two CBS News magazine programs. Norville achieved considerable success at a very young age in the highly competitive field of network television news. Like many famous people, she endured a dramatic career setback, in her case when she was promoted to co-host of the prestigious |Today program on NBC, and was later dismissed. August 8 is the 220th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (221st in leap years), with 145 days remaining. ... 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dalton is a city located in Whitfield County, Georgia. ... This is a list of television-related events in 1995. ... WJLA, Washington, DC Inside Edition promo featuring Bill OReilly, 1993. ... Today, commonly referred to as The Today Show to avoid ambiguity, is an American morning news and talk show airing weekday mornings on the NBC television network. ... NBC (an abbreviation for National Broadcasting Company, its former corporate name) is an American television network based in New York Citys Rockefeller Center and is shown on basic cable in Canada. ... Walter Cronkite on the CBS Evening News in the 1970s. ... CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. Its current president is Sean McManus who is also head of CBS Sports. ...

Career

NBC years

After serving as a reporter and an anchor for local television stations first in Atlanta and then Chicago, in 1987, Norville, at age 28, was named anchor of NBC News at Sunrise, the network's early morning newscast which aired just prior to the Today program. Throughout the late 1980s she was seen on Today as a regular substitute for host Bryant Gumbel, co-host Jane Pauley, and news anchor John Palmer. See also: 1986 in television, other events of 1987, 1988 in television and the list of years in television. ... An early morning news program produced by NBC News from 1983 to 1999. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Bryant Gumbel Bryant Charles Gumbel (born September 29, 1948), is an American television personality for news and sports programs. ... Jane Pauley Margaret Jane Pauley (born October 31, 1950, in Indianapolis) is an American television news anchor and journalist. ... John Palmer is the name of several notable individuals, including: John McAuley Palmer (1817-1900), U.S. Civil War general and governor of Illinois; John McAuley Palmer (1870-1955), American First World War general and military theorist, the grandson of the first John McCauley Palmer; John Palmer (1785-1840), U...

By 1989, Norville replaced Palmer at the Today newsdesk and he assumed her previous role on Sunrise. She also began substituting for Tom Brokaw on NBC Nightly News. Shortly after Norville's appointment as Today's news anchor, the decision was made to feature Norville as an unofficial third host. Whereas Palmer had read the news from a desk separate from where Gumbel and Pauley sat, Norville was seated alongside the program's hosts at the opening and closing of every show. Before long, gossip columns and media observers predicted that NBC would remove Jane Pauley from the program and replace her with Norville in an effort to improve the program's recently declining viewership by young women -- the demographic most coveted by morning shows. See also: 1988 in television, other events of 1989, 1990 in television and the list of years in television. For the United States network television schedule, please see 1989-90 United States network television schedule. ... Tom Brokaw Thomas John Brokaw (born February 6, 1940 in Webster, South Dakota) is a popular USA television journalist, presently working on regularly scheduled news documentaries for the NBC television network, and is the former NBC News anchorman and managing editor of the program NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw. ... NBC Nightly News is the flagship evening news program for NBC News and broadcasts from Studio 3C at the GE Building, Rockefeller Center in New York City. ...

By late 1989, it was announced that 13 year veteran Jane Pauley would leave Today at the end of the year. NBC, as expected, announced that Norville would become co-host. An emotional Norville hugged Pauley on the air after the announcement was made, and many at NBC hoped the negative press generated by Norville's increased presence on the program would now end. It did not. Prior to the announcement of Pauley's departure, much of the criticism had focused on Norville's youth and beauty, with many branding her "the other woman" and a "home wrecker," in a reference to what some felt seemed like her intent on "breaking up" the television marriage of Gumbel and Pauley. In truth, Norville was never in a managerial capacity nor did she have any decision-making authority on the show.

Negative press only heightened after the announcement of Pauley's resignation, and Norville was put under a gag order by NBC brass which prevented her from defending herself from the widespread and erroneous reports that she somehow orchestrated her rise on Today. In January 1990, the new anchor team of Bryant Gumbel and Deborah Norville, minus Jane Pauley, debuted with disastrous results. Ratings for the program began to plummet. Critics felt that Gumbel and Norville lacked chemistry and many loyal viewers began turning to rival ABC's Good Morning America (GMA). Whereas Jane Pauley had excelled at being deferential to the aggressive Gumbel, Norville, it was observed, was not by nature a passive person. She thus fit uncomfortably into a role in which her chief duty was to play off of his lead. This article is about the year. ... When TV viewers or entertainment professionals in the United States mention ratings they are generally referring to Nielsen Ratings, a system developed by Nielsen Media Research to determine the audience size and composition of television programming. ... The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... Good Morning America is a weekday morning news show that is broadcasted on the ABC television network. ...

In the September 1990, Norville announced that she and her husband were expecting a child in the following year. It was hoped that motherhood would help soften Norville's image as a too-pretty, too-icy newswoman, but her pregnancy announcement was essentially unnoticed by critics. At about the same time, NBC devised what it hoped would be solution to the growing unpopularity of the show. Though it had been rumored that Norville would be fired, NBC announced that she would remain in her position and that Joe Garagiola, former Major League Baseball player, game show host, MLB on NBC announcer, and Today contributor from 1969-1970, would join Norville as a co-host alongside Bryant Gumbel. Also, CBS newswoman Faith Daniels would become the program's news anchor -- a position which was still unfilled since Norville became co-host -- and little known news correspondent Katie Couric would become the program's first chief national correspondent. This article is about the year. ... Joseph Henry Garagiola, Sr. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A NBC Sports camera capturing the action at Dodger Stadium. ... See also: 1968 in television, other events of 1969, 1970 in television and the list of years in television. For the American network television schedule, please see 1969-70 American network television schedule. ... See also: 1969 in television, other events of 1970, 1971 in television and the list of years in television. For the American network television schedule, please see 1970-71 American network television schedule. ... CBS (an abbreviation for Columbia Broadcasting System, its former legal name) is one of the largest television networks, and formerly one of the largest radio networks, in the United States. ... For other uses, see NBC (disambiguation). ... Katherine Katie Anne Couric (born January 7, 1957) is a well-known and popular American media personality who gained fame as the co-host of NBCs Today and now serves as the anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News. ...

The changes accomplished nothing in the way of stopping the ratings decline. By the end of 1990, Today, the longtime dominant program, was officially the second place morning show behind GMA, and most of the blame was pinned on Norville. By the outbreak of The Gulf War in 1991, Norville saw her role as co-host continually minimized. Today aired special editions of the program called America at War, with Gumbel anchoring most of the show alone. It was not uncommon for Norville not to even make an appearance until the two hour show's second half hour. In addition, she was directed not to initiate conversation on the show and only speak when asked a question by Gumbel. Nearing the end of her pregnancy which became complicated with a condition known as toxemia, Norville left the show for maternity leave in February 1991. It was announced that Katie Couric would substitute co-host during Norville's absence. Ratings for the program rose immediately following Norville's departure and Couric's arrival. This is a list of television-related events in 1990. ... Combatants UN Coalition Republic of Iraq Commanders Norman Schwarzkopf Saddam Hussein Strength 660,000 360,000 Casualties 345 dead, 1,000 wounded 25,000 dead, 75,000 wounded The Gulf War (1990–1991) was a conflict between Iraq and a coalition force of approximately 30 nations[1] led by the... This is a list of television-related events in 1991. ... Toxemia is another term for blood poisoning, or the presence in the bloodstream of quantities of bacteria or bacterial toxins sufficient to cause serious illness. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Midway though her maternity leave, Norville was interviewed by People. In the story, she avoided conversation about her recent trouble on Today, and instead focused on her newborn baby boy. She was photographed breastfeeding her son, a seemingly innocuous event, but NBC management was said to be greatly displeased by this, believing the photo to be in poor taste. By April 1991, in light of improved ratings on Today and NBC's displeasure at the People photograph, it was announced that Norville would not return to Today and that Katie Couric had been named the program's co-host. Norville, it was disclosed, would continue to be paid in accordance with her contract, although she would no longer appear on any NBC News programs. 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. Its current president is Steve Capus. ...

Reborn on radio

In 1992, suffering depression, damaged from the two years of negative press and disappointing results on Today, and without a television show of her own, Norville was signed by ABC Radio to host a nightly radio program from her home in New York, which she did for a year. ABC Radio is a division of the American Broadcasting Company focused on AM radio and FM radio broadcasting. ...

The woman that Vanity Fair once called "NBC's Great Blonde Hope" had gone from holding one of the most prestigious jobs in all of television news to broadcasting a radio program. As it would turn out, however, this marked not the end of her television career but rather the beginning of its next phase. American actress Demi Moore, on a typical Vanity Fair cover (August, 1991) Vanity Fair is a glossy American glamour magazine monthly that offers a mixture of articles based on sensational exaggerations, jet-set and entertainment-business personalities, politics, and lies. ...

Return to television

By late 1993, Norville had been hired by CBS News as a correspondent for Street Stories, a prime time newsmagazine hosted by CBS veteran Ed Bradley. Norville was soon tapped to anchor Sunday editions of the CBS Evening News on a rotating basis and also substitute anchored on the weeknight edition of that program. By the summer of 1994, Street Stories had been cancelled and CBS introduced a summer newsmagazine series called America Tonight co-anchored by Norville and newswoman Dana King. This is a list of television-related events in 1993. ... CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. Its current president is Sean McManus who is also head of CBS Sports. ... Prime time is the block of programming on television during the middle of the evening. ... Edward Rudolph Bradley, Jr. ... Walter Cronkite on the CBS Evening News in the 1970s. ... This is a list of television-related events in 1994. ...

On her new role at CBS and in reference to her appearances on the CBS Evening News, Norville once remarked, "I hope Bryant [Gumbel] was watching."

Syndication success

By 1995, Norville, still a news correspondent for CBS was asked to replace Bill O'Reilly, later of Fox News Channel, as the host of the highly popular syndicated news and entertainment program Inside Edition -- a position she holds today. This is a list of television-related events in 1995. ... William James Bill OReilly, Jr. ... The Fox News Channel (FNC) is an American cable and satellite news channel. ... In the television industry (as in radio), syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast programs to multiple stations, without going through a broadcast network. ... WJLA, Washington, DC Inside Edition promo featuring Bill OReilly, 1993. ...

Morning show comeback

In the summer of 2002, the beleaguered Early Show on CBS -- a distant rival of NBC's Today and ABC's GMA -- was in a precarious position. The show, which had failed to gain traction since its inception in 1999, was devoid of an anchor team. Former Today host Bryant Gumbel, who had since left NBC to anchor The Early Show, (TES) had not renewed his contract with the network. His co-host, Jane Clayson, was still on the show, albeit with an uncertain future. CBS, which owns King World, the syndicator for Inside Edition, hired Norville, still anchoring Inside Edition, to co-host alongside Clayson for a week. Rumors started that Norville would either join or replace Clayson on the program. Neither materialized, however, as Clayson was removed from the program and CBS opted for a multi-anchor concept of which Norville expressed no interest to be a part, and chose to stick with the syndication arm. This is a list of television-related events in 2002. ... The Early Show title card The Early Show is a American television morning news talk show broadcast by CBS from New York City, 7 to 9 a. ... This is a list of television-related events in 1999. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... WJLA, Washington, DC Inside Edition promo featuring Bill OReilly, 1993. ...

Ironically, CBS had reportedly approached Norville in 1999 about co-hosting the program with Gumbel before its launch. This would have been particularly unusual (if not ironic) given their unsuccessful pairing on Today.

Deborah Norville Tonight

In 2004, MSNBC announced that Norville would anchor a prime time interview program on that network while remaining at Inside Edition. A clumsy arrangement was orchestrated in which Norville was prevented from appearing as an anchor for NBC News -- of which MSNBC is a division -- so as not to confuse viewers who identified her with Inside Edition. As a result, if breaking news had developed either during the course of her show or earlier in the day, she was unable to cover the story by speaking with NBC correspondents unless they were featured as guests on the program. This is a list of television-related events in 2004. ... MSNBC, a combination of Microsoft and NBC, is a 24-hour cable news channel in the United States and Canada, and a news Website. ...

Norville conducted some high profile interviews on the show -- a particularly endearing one with her successor on Today, Katie Couric -- and also addressed some controversial topics including the debate revolving around Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ and Mormon polygamy. Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson AO (born January 3, 1956) is an Academy Award-winning American-Australian actor, director, and producer. ... The Passion of the Christ (2004) is a film about the last twelve hours of the life of Jesus Christ, known to Christians as the Passion. Directed by Mel Gibson, it was nominated for three Academy Awards: best cinematography, best makeup, and best original score. ... The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the most-recognized architectural symbol of Mormonism For other uses, see Mormon (disambiguation). ... The term polygamy (literally many marriages in late Greek) is used in related ways in social anthropology and sociobiology and sociology. ...

During one of the broadcasts on the Passion controversy, Norville disclosed on the air that she was a born-again Christian, having accepted Christ as her savior at age 15. Though Norville's religious identity had been reported previously, it was the first time she had ever made such an announcement on live television. Born again is a term used originally and mainly in Christianity, where it is associated with salvation, conversion and spiritual rebirth. ... This page is about the title or the Divine Person. For the Christian figure, see Jesus. ...

By February 2005, exhausted from working two jobs and facing flat ratings, Norville announced she would leave MSNBC and continue anchoring the syndicated Inside Edition. February 2005 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December - → Pope John Paul II is taken to a hospital suffering from a serious case of influenza. ...

Trivia

• In 1976, she was named Georgia's Junior Miss, a beauty pageant that also serves as a scholarship program for college-bound high school girls.
• She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism.
• During her years as a reporter and anchor for a local television station in Atlanta, she dated sports celebrity Harmon Wages, then a local television sports anchor and former running back for the Atlanta Falcons.
• She has twice been awarded an Emmy Award for her television work.
• Her tumultuous experiences on The Today Show inspired her to write a book entitled Back on Track: How to Straighten Out Your Life When it Throws You a Curve (Simon & Schuster, 1997). She has also written two children's books, I Don't Want to Sleep Tonight (Golden Books, 1999) and I Can Fly (Golden Books, 2001).
• While at MSNBC in late March 2004, she presented as genuine a satirical article entitled Study: 58 Percent Of U.S. Exercise Televised from The Onion, a parody newspaper.
• She is married to Karl Wellner and has three children.
• She has been the mistress of ceremonies at the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation Fall Gala for the past 8 years.

1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... A beauty contest, or beauty pageant, is a competition between people, based largely, though not always entirely, on the beauty of their physical appearance. ... Scholarship is the pursuit of academic research, whether in the arts and humanities or sciences, and in all such fields means deep mastery of a subject, often through study at institutions of higher education. ... Latin honors are Latin phrases used to indicate the level of academic distinction with which an academic degree was earned. ... The University of Georgia (UGA) is the largest institution of higher learning and research in the State of Georgia. ... Journalism is a discipline of collecting, analyzing, verifying, and presenting news regarding current events, trends, issues and people. ... City Atlanta, Georgia Team colors Black, Red, Silver, and White Head Coach Jim L. Mora Owner Arthur Blank General manager Rich McKay Mascot Freddie Falcon League/Conference affiliations National Football League (1966–present) Eastern Conference (1966) Western Conference (1967-69) Coastal Division (1967-1969) National Football Conference (1970-present) NFC... An Emmy Award. ... Today, commonly referred to as The Today Show to avoid ambiguity, is an American morning news and talk show airing weekday mornings on the NBC television network. ... Jean-François Millet Le Semeur (The Sower) Simon & Schuster logo, circa 1961. ... See also: 1996 in literature, other events of 1997, 1998 in literature, list of years in literature. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... See also: 2000 in literature, other events of 2001, 2002 in literature, list of years in literature. ... MSNBC, a combination of Microsoft and NBC, is a 24-hour cable news channel in the United States and Canada, and a news Website. ... The Onion is a parody newspaper published weekly in print and on the Internet. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation or MMRF is a non-profit organization based in New Canaan, Connecticut dedicated to accelerating the search for a cure of multiple myeloma. ... John Palmer is the name of several notable individuals, including: John McAuley Palmer (1817-1900), U.S. Civil War general and governor of Illinois; John McAuley Palmer (1870-1955), American First World War general and military theorist, the grandson of the first John McCauley Palmer; John Palmer (1785-1840), U... Today, commonly referred to as The Today Show to avoid ambiguity, is an American morning news and talk show airing weekday mornings on the NBC television network. ... For other uses, see NBC (disambiguation). ... Jane Pauley Margaret Jane Pauley (born October 31, 1950, in Indianapolis) is an American television news anchor and journalist. ... Today, commonly referred to as The Today Show to avoid ambiguity, is an American morning news and talk show airing weekday mornings on the NBC television network. ... Bryant Gumbel Bryant Charles Gumbel (born September 29, 1948), is an American television personality for news and sports programs. ... Katherine Katie Anne Couric (born January 7, 1957) is a well-known and popular American media personality who gained fame as the co-host of NBCs Today and now serves as the anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News. ... William James Bill OReilly, Jr. ... WJLA, Washington, DC Inside Edition promo featuring Bill OReilly, 1993. ...

External links

• Deborah Norville official site
• Deborah Norville's blog and podcast site
• IMDB entry