Carson Daly Joins NBC ‘Today’ Show

Carson Daly will join NBC’s “Today” next week as host of the Orange Room, a digital studio add-on aimed at connecting audiences into the morning show both live and online.

He will join the “Today” show with the revamp of Studio 1A debuting Monday, Sept. 16, the set’s first redesign in seven years that will feature an open floor plan. The Orange Room will be a “nexus point” between the audience and the show, with Daly acting as the intermediary between the audience and “Today” hosts and guests.

The Orange Room’s lounge-like setting on the set will be a “hub of emerging technology,” outfitted with social media hangouts, extended live-stream interviews with “Today” guests, analysis of real-time social data and reactions from the web, as well as the home for the show’s original digital franchises, NBC said.

“‘The Orange Room’ is where the newsroom meets the living room,” exec producer Don Nash said. “Carson is the perfect fit for this exciting new role. He’s passionate about being on the forefront of new media, and has distinguished himself as a socially savvy broadcaster with a unique ability to engage audiences.”

Daly will continue to host and produce NBC’s “The Voice,” which debuts its fifth season Monday, Sept. 23, as well as his morning drive radio program on 97.1 AMP FM Los Angeles. Carson will continue as exec producer of “Last Call” and plans for a transition will be announced at a later date.

In addition, NBC has extended its relationship with Carson for a first-look development deal for scripted and alternative programs. Under his Daly Prods. banner he will curate and create new material and opportunities for rising talent in music and entertainment.

“For over a decade now, NBC has allowed me to grow and delve further into live broadcasting and producing, and I am so grateful for these opportunities,” Daly said in a statement. “I’m thrilled to be joining the talented team at ‘Today.’”

For the past eight years, Carson and Universal Media Studios have produced NBC’s annual New Year’s Eve primetime special, “NBC’s New Year’s Eve with Carson Daly.”

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