Savannah Guthrie and Matt Lauer appear recently on the ‘Today’ show.
From Staff Reports
CODY, WYO. — After weeks of planning and a high-profile campaign to build viewership for a scheduled live broadcast from Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park, breaking news meant that ‘Today’ show staff would instead cover the aftermath of a devastating tornado in Oklahoma rather than a live remote segment in the park Tuesday.
Medical examiners in Oklahoma City were reporting late Monday night that more than 50 people, including 20 children, died when a huge tornado ripped through the city.
Megan Kopf Stackhouse, a spokeswoman for the ‘Today’ show, said via email Monday that show staffers were flying from Hawaii to Oklahoma, rather than traveling to Yellowstone, as planned.
Further details on when the show might follow up on plans to broadcast from Yellowstone were not immediately available. With producers and other crew members having already traveled into the park to film segments on wolves, bears and other topics, it seemed likely that the popular NBC morning program would schedule another trip to the park later this year.
Speakimg to a group of tourism industry leaders in Cody on Monday before the ‘Today’ show detour was announced, Yellowstone Superintendent Dan Wenk said the town’s efforts to help plow the East Gate of Yellowstone were probably a contributing factor in attracting the ‘Today’ show to Yellowstone.
When the Maitre’d is named Mother Nature, you sit where she tells you to…
I hope the Today Show is able to return to Yellowstone to film soon. Having spent 2 summers working in tne park and visiting nearly every yr for many yrs, we are anxious to see the show and the interviews of park personell and see and hear the reactions of Matt, Al, Samantha and Natalie at the wonders of this magical place.