Entry #10: Antarctica: Today Show and NBC Nightly News

November 3, 2007

Dear Fellow Travelers,

You may be getting sick of news on the Today Show. Sorry! But I thought I would share this letter that just came from the HQ

of the U.S. Antarctic Program (the Chalet) which gives us information in McMurdo about the live broadcasts on the Today Show AND on NBC Nightly News. As you read it, you will see a contingency made for where to broadcast from in the event of "inclement weather." I had to laugh about that... I wonder what that means. Today is a BEAUTIFUL day out the window. But the windchill is -47! Check out the weather report!

Stay warm, everyone!

Robin

McMurdo Community,

A crew from the NBC television network is currently on station and preparing to transmit a live broadcast for the "Today" show and "NBC Nightly News". In addition to these live broadcasts, several pre-recorded pieces are being produced on station and sent to NBC studios in New York. The broadcast will feature the U.S. Antarctic Program, the Antarctic environment and the science that is supported by NSF.

The Antarctic live and taped pieces will be part of a larger "Pole to Pole" global broadcast featuring "Today" personalities Matt Lauer, from Greenland, and Al Roker from the tropics. Ann Curry will report from Antarctica. It is impossible to say in advance how the segments will be "balanced" against one another in terms of air time.

As is usually the case in the Antarctic, Today's planning is "flexing to cope with the terrain" and changing to meet conditions, which the producers could not have anticipated in advance. Initially, the live broadcasts from McMurdo were to have taken place exclusively from the Chalet. That may still be used as a location in the case of inclement weather and to vary the shots seen by viewers at home. However, the crew has deemed a site on Ob Hill as more "telegenic" and more adaptable to a variety of shots, which is good, as it likely will mean more Antarctic air time.

In discussions with the location producer, Matt Carluccio, we are making every effort to balance the format and theme of the broadcast—which are not his alone to decide—with the desire to allow the community to participate in an activity that their support is making possible.

The two-hour live broadcasts are scheduled on Monday Nov. 5 and Tuesday Nov. 6, beginning at 7 a.m. Eastern, which means they would begin broadcasting at 11 p.m., local time. During the broadcast in McMurdo, the station's bandwidth will not be significantly impacted. Carluccio has indicated to NSF senior management that:

For the Day One live broadcast—on Nov. 5—members of the community are welcome to watch the filming, but cannot be in any of the shots. This is because nature of these program segments is to focus on Antarctica, its climate and the science and the first broadcast is designed to "set the tone" of Antarctica as a remote region of the globe. Members of the community are welcome to attend the Second Day—on Nov. 6—live broadcast with signs, but should arrive no earlier than 2 am. While there is no guarantee this will happen, it is possible that
shots of the community may be cut into the latter part of the show. Unfortunately, members of the community cannot participate during the Wednesday (November 7) shoot.

It is important to remember that on many, many aspects of how the local segments are managed, Carluccio receives his direction from Today's producers in New York.

The broadcast schedule follows:
Today Show Day 1: Nov 5-6, 11pm - 3:15am McMurdo Time// //Nov 5, 5am - 9:15am Eastern// // Nov 5, 3am – 7:15am Mountain
Today Show Day 2: Nov 6-7, 11pm - 3:15am McMurdo Time// //Nov 6, 5am - 9:15am Eastern// // Nov 6, 3am – 7:15am Mountain
NBC Nightly News: Nov 7, 12:15pm - 1:00pm McMurdo Time// //Nov 6, 6:15pm - 7:00pm Eastern// // Nov 6, 4:15pm – 5:00pm Mountain

Encourage friends and family back home to tune in to the Today Show on November 5th and 6th. Then again to the NBC Nightly news on November 6th. These shows have been heavily promoted by NBC leading up to
these broadcasts.

NSF's Office of Legislative and Public Affairs (OLPA) will make copies of the broadcast available on disk as soon as possible following the broadcasts for the station community.

Thank you all for your cooperation and assistance.