NBC News has hired a new boss for the Today Show. Screenwriter Noah Oppenheim, who worked on the show in the past, is being brought back.
New York Magazine’s Daily Intelligencer reported that Oppenheim's title will be senior vice president at NBC News and his main job will be overseeing Today. News of the deal was also reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
"In this role, Noah will oversee all aspects of the Today brand and is responsible for all platforms of Today, including broadcast and digital," NBC News president Deborah Turness said in a statement. "His mission will be to guide the editorial content, drive growth and integration, and identify strategic opportunities."
Oppenheimer is coming in just after Jamie Horowitz was fired as Today general manger. He hadn’t even officially started the job, but it was rumored that he planned to make major changes at the show.
Oppenheimer is an NBC veteran. He was at NB News for eight years, including three specifically at Today to oversee the first hour of the show. He also worked on other projects within the NBC family, including producing the pilot of Jim Cramer’s Mad Money on CNBC and Chris Matthews’ Hardball on MSNBC.
Since 2008, when he left, Oppenheimer has become a successful screenwriter. He was hired to write the last Divergent movie, Allegiant and wrote Fox’s The Maze Runner.
Of course, Today is at a very different place in the ratings today. It often falls behind ABC’s Good Morning America.
image of the ‘Today Show’ anchors courtesy of Kristin Callahan/ACE/INFphoto.com