Today weather forecaster Al Roker’s production company, Al Roker Entertainment, said it has optioned the rights to Marisa Renee Lee’s best-selling book Grief is Love: Living with Loss.

The memoir addresses the process of healing after tragedies including the death of the author’s mother to cancer, with a unique perspective on the impact of grief on Black women.

“Marisa Renee Lee's Grief is Love is a profound exploration of the human spirit, love, and resilience during our most difficult times,“ said Roker, executive producer Al Roker Entertainment. ”Everyone, including myself, is touched by grief, so we are honored to bring this deeply moving story to the screen and shed light on these diverse and raw experiences.”

Lee is a former staffer in the Obama White House and an advocate for coping with grief.

"The prospect of Grief is Love coming to life on screen is both humbling and exhilarating. I wrote it with the hope that it would offer solace and understanding to those navigating the complexities of grief,” said author Lee. “The decision to adapt it into a film opens up the possibility of reaching a wider audience, spreading the message of love, hope, and resilience in the face of profound loss.”

Other recent Al Roker Entertainment projects include the award-winning Gaining Ground: The Fight for Black Land and the upcoming PBS Kids animated series Weather Hunters.

Al Roker didn’t realize just how much his job meant to him until he wasn’t able to show up for work. In November, he was waylaid by blood clots and internal bleeding that he described as life-threatening. Recuperating, he got a knock on his front door. It was the Today group — on-air talent, writers, producers, about 55 people total — there to wish their anchor pal well. With Christmas around the corner, they sang Roker a few Christmas carols. 

“Throughout the whole ordeal, I didn’t get emotional, I didn’t cry,” he said. “But that just brought me to tears.”

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When Roker finally got back to NBC’s Today in early January, after two months off, his colleagues got emotional, too. “When he walked onto the set, I just wanted to cry,” co-anchor Hoda Kotb said. “Al is the puzzle piece that was missing.”

A Face for Radio?

Roker never envisioned himself being on television. Working in television, perhaps — writing, producing, maybe directing. Growing up in Queens, New York, the oldest of six children, 10-year-old Roker ran wires from the back of his TV to a reel-to-reel player so he could record television, well before the VCR gave consumers that skill. He told his mother how he’d spliced together the theme songs from Batman and Superman. 

“I didn’t realize what the look was, but looking back on it, it was, ‘He’s going to live in our basement forever. He’s never going to get married. He’s just going to be this subterranean dweller,’ ” Roker said.

Roker got out of the basement to study at SUNY Oswego starting in 1972, where his department chair told him he had “the perfect face for radio,” Roker said. That same man, Lewis O’Donnell, worked on a kids’ show at WTVH Syracuse, and the station needed a weekend weather person. “[The news director] asked Lew, got any kids? I can’t afford anybody real,” Roker said. 

He got the job, making $15 a newscast. 

After he graduated, Roker worked at WTTG Washington and WKYC Cleveland, then landed at his hometown station, WNBC New York, as a weekend weathercaster in late 1983. “The thing that was special was not that it was the No. 1 market, but that my parents could turn on the TV and see me,” he said. 

Roker moved on to Today, also based in 30 Rock, in 1996. 

The morning TV war is a brutal one, but Roker said Today stands out thanks to what he witnessed when the gang came to visit him late last year. “We really are a team,” he said. “It’s a group that cares about each other, and I think the viewer feels that it’s not fake bonhomie.”

Co-anchor Savannah Guthrie shared how Roker was her first friend when she came to Today in 2011. “He’s the joy, he’s the spice, he’s the salt that makes the food tasty,” she said. “Al brings energy, humor and warmth. He’s our sunshine.”

Kotb said Today “doesn’t exist without Al.” Knowing he’s next to them on the set puts the anchors at ease, she added. 

Roker is grateful that the job allows him to do the fun bits, such as the Living Legends series and travel segments, while also covering what he called “the quintessential issue of our time” in climate change. 

Pitching In in the Kitchen

Roker unwinds by hanging out with his family, including wife Deborah Roberts, ABC News senior national affairs correspondent and 2023 Hall of Fame inductee, and their kids. He’s working on a cookbook with his oldest daughter Courtney, which will join the various murder mysteries he’s authored, including The Morning Show Murders, on the Roker bookshelf. He enjoys cooking, writing, reading and simply relaxing. 

During the week, he’s up at 4:30 a.m., but Roker is not complaining. “My dad drove a bus eight to 10 hours a day,” he said. “This is one of the greatest jobs going.”

Al Roker is behind the PBS Kids show Weather Hunters. The animated show, targeting children ages 5-8, helps them understand weather through adventure and comedy. The main character is 8-year-old Lily Hunter, a weather detective who shares her investigations with her family, including father Al, voiced by Roker.

“The series will help further young viewers’ interest and knowledge of Earth science and meteorology, both key building blocks of climate education,” PBS Kids said.

PBS mentioned the show in its TCA press tour presentation.

Created by Roker, Weather Hunters is produced by Al Roker Entertainment.

“We’re so excited to be working with Al Roker and his team to bring important weather and Earth science lessons to kids through Weather Hunters,” said Sara DeWitt, senior VP and general manager, PBS Kids. “We know that parents and kids are looking for content about weather and climate; this show is fresh, funny and forward-thinking, and will help kids understand how weather affects their lives every day.”

Roker handles weather on NBC’s Today, and is co-anchor on the show’s third hour. He will be inducted into the B+C Hall of Fame later this year.

Each 22-minute episode will explore STEM-based activities and themes, highlighting weather within the broad field of science in terms that kids can understand. "Weather Hunters has been a labor of love and a passion project for more than a decade and I cannot think of a better partner than PBS Kids to make this dream come true," said Roker. “When it comes to Weather Hunters, I predict increasing animation with downpours of family-friendly storytelling and a rising understanding of weather and climate on your local PBS station, pbskids.org, and the PBS Kids Video and Games apps."

Tracie Brennan and Lisa Tucker are executive producers, along with Bill Schultz.

The premiere date has not been shared.

PBS Kids also announced animated series Lyla in the Loop. The show stars Lyla, a 7-year-old Black girl, her close-knit family, blue sidekick creature Stu, and a host of quirky characters living in her community, who spotlight creative problem-solving and critical thinking skills while working collaboratively.

"Lyla in the Loop focuses on the important skills of creative thinking and problem solving through a thoughtful and adventurous approach that meets children in a funny and relatable way,” said DeWitt. “We’re so excited to be partnering with Mighty Picnic and Pipeline Studios to bring this inventive new series to families across the country."

Dave Peth created the show, which is scheduled to premiere early in 2024.

“The message of Lyla in the Loop is that everyone has what it takes to be a creative problem solver,” said Peth. “If you keep asking questions, trying new things, and working together, you’ll find more solutions than you could have imagined – and have a lot of fun along the way.” ■

NBC’s Today show announced that weatherman Al Roker will be returning to the program on Friday, January 6.

Roker, 68, was hospitalized in November with blood clots in his legs and lungs. He missed covering the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for the first time in more than 25 years.

He left the hospital for Thanksgiving, but returned at the end of the month and missed the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in December. 

“We have some great news to share this morning. Al is coming back to the show,” Savannah Guthrie said on Tuesday’s Today show.

“It was like, ‘when, when?’ Well, we have our day. He’ll be here Friday. He’ll be right here in Studio 1A. This is his place. He’ll be in his seat right where he belongs. We cannot wait for that,” co-host Hoda Kotb said.

During his medical ordeal, Roker was supported by the show and his fans. 

“Listen, it’s been a tough slog. I’m not going to deny this,” Roker said in a December 12 video call from home. “It’s been the hardest one yet, and you know I’ve had my share of surgeries. It gives you a profound sense of gratitude for this outpouring of prayers and thanks. I’m a very fortunate person.”

The show had a surprise holiday serenade for Roker on December 14. A crowd of Today anchors, crew and producers gathered outside his home for Christmas carols, and the gesture brought Al to tears.

“I’ve missed you all so, so very much, all these faces,” Roker said. “It just means the world to me and to our family and my Deborah, who’s just been my rock. I thank you so much. I really appreciated it.” 

Al Roker and his wife, Deborah Roberts of ABC, will be inducted into the Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame in May. ■

Jim Nantz, Rachael Ray, Soledad O’Brien and The Walking Dead will share the spotlight with on-air stars and impactful executives at the Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame gala at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City on May 3. 

“We are thrilled to once again honor our industry’s most accomplished pioneers, creators and innovators and leaders,” Bill McGorry, chairman of the Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, said. “These individuals all share a common bond — their collective vision, remarkable achievements and unbreakable will to succeed have changed our business forever and brought it to another level. We look forward to recognizing these worthy individuals on May 3 as we welcome them as the newest inductees into the B+C Hall of Fame — our industry’s highest honor.”

The full class is: George G. Beasley (1932-2021), founder, Beasley Media Group, and Caroline Beasley, CEO, Beasley Media Group; Matthew Bond, chairman, content distribution, NBCUniversal; Ray Cole, president and chief operating officer, Citadel Communications; Frank Comerford, chief revenue officer & president of sales, NBCUniversal Local; Ray Hopkins, president, U.S. networks distribution, Paramount Global; Wonya Lucas, president and CEO, Hallmark Media; Soledad O’Brien, CEO, Soledad O’Brien Productions; Rachael Ray, host, Rachael Ray; Deborah Roberts, ABC News senior national affairs correspondent and contributing anchor for 20/20; Al Roker, weather and feature anchor, Today, co-host of Today third hour; and James Thompson (1947-2022), past president, Broadcasters Foundation of America. 

Jim Nantz of CBS Sports gets the Lifetime Achievement Award and AMC’s The Walking Dead wins the Iconic Show Award. 

It is the 31st Hall of Fame event. More than 400 honorees have been inducted. 

A portion of the night’s proceeds is donated to The Broadcasters Foundation of America, which provides grants to industry colleagues and their families who are in acute need. The Paley Center for Media is also a beneficiary. 

Honorees will be profiled in the April issue of B+C Multichannel News. For sponsorship, tables and ticket information, contact Jessica Wolin at jessica.wolin@futurenet.com, 212-685-4233 or www.bchalloffame.com. ■

Al Roker, feature anchor and co-host on Today, and Deborah Roberts, ABC News senior national affairs correspondent, will host the 2022 BFOA Golden Mike Award dinner. It happens March 14 at the Plaza in New York. 

Hilton Howell, chairman and CEO of Gray Television and Atlantic American Corporation, gets the Golden Mike. The Lifetime Achievement Award will be given to sportscaster Lesley Visser.

The event is a fundraiser for the Broadcasters Foundation of America. 

Roker and Roberts are married. Roker has spent over 40 years at NBC. Roberts appears on 20/20, Nightline, Good Morning America and World News Tonight with David Muir. 

Previous Golden Mike recipients include Dave Lougee, Emily Barr, David Barrett, Michael Bloomberg and Gordon Smith. 

Since its inception 70 years ago, the Broadcasters Foundation has distributed millions of dollars in aid to broadcasters who have lost their livelihood through a catastrophic event, debilitating disease or unforeseen tragedy. ■

The Al Roker special Life Aid: A Story of Hope, about efforts to help military veterans regain top mental health, premieres on Discovery Aug. 30. The one-hour special details the Life Aid Research Institute, which raises money to provide veterans and first responders with personalized mental health treatments. The organization also focuses on suicide prevention among veterans.

“There’s a lot of work being done with veterans to put their bodies back together,” Roker told Multichannel News. “But there’s a lack of information, a lack of research about brain trauma and those issues.”

Roker said John Wordin, Life Aid Research Institute founder, approached him about doing the special. “I said, absolutely,” shared Roker.

After its Discovery premiere, Life Aid: A Story of Hope debuts on Science Channel and American Heroes Channel Sept. 2. Roker said the three networks cover the “underlying principles” of the special. Discovery makes people aware of the issue, Science covers the scientific aspects of the treatment, and American Heroes sums up the subjects. “They are truly American heroes,” said Roker, whose Al Roker Entertainment produced the special.

Roker is the Today weather and feature anchor, and co-host of the morning show’s third hour on NBC. He does not come from a military background, joking that the closest he came to service was a military school he attended as a child.

He summed up the Life Aid strategy as “research, rehabilitation, different therapies using biofeedback, using different drugs, doing physical and emotional therapy.”

“It’s a multi-pronged approach,” Roker added. “It’s not just one thing, but let’s look at a number of different efforts.”

Roker published the book You Look So Much Better in Person in late July, and the title is something he hears frequently on the street from viewers. “I understand you think it’s a compliment,” he quipped. “But it’s really not.”

Much of the production on Life Aid took place before COVID hit. “We were very careful, with minimal crews and plenty of social distancing,” Roker said. “It’s veterans and their families, so we were very, very careful.”

Roker hopes the special helps viewers appreciate what veterans have given to our nation. “I hope they take away the sacrifice that these folks have made,” he said. “We can never repay them, but we can make sure they become as whole as possible.”

Al Roker’s new book, You Look So Much Better in Person: True Stories of Absurdity and Success, is out July 28. Roker shares humorous stories from his 40-year career on television, and lessons he’s picked up about living a happier life. 

Roker is the Today weather anchor and feature anchor, and co-host of the morning show’s third hour. 

The book offers 16 “Al-truisms”--lessons Roker has learned that readers can apply to their own lives. Each one represents a chapter. He describes them to B+C as “things I have learned, people I have dealt with. At the end, I think it’s a positive book we can use right now and just have some fun.”

Roker came to WNBC New York in 1983, after stints at WTVH Syracuse and WKYC Cleveland. He joined Today in 1996. 

Roker looks into his college days doing the weather in Syracuse. “The bulk of my wardrobe consisted of flannel plaid shirts and denim overalls. Farmer chic. My dressiest items were a few button-down polyester shirts with gigantic collars, jeans, a pair of flared slacks, and a single extrawide avocado-green tie with mustard-yellow stripes,” he writes. 

He talks about arriving at NBC, and hanging out at the commissary in 30 Rock. “Sitting at a scuffed-up table, drinking a cup of bitter, slightly odd-smelling coffee, I could witness the history of NBC unfolding right before my eyes. It wasn’t unusual to see Tom Brokaw from the nightly news come in to grab lunch. Jon Lovitz, Billy Crystal and Dana Carvey might be huddled together working on a script, throwing back pools of coffee. The commissary was the great equalizer…I marveled that I was part of it.”

Publishers Weekly calls You Look So Much Better in Person a “sunny, pleasant book” that’s perfect for fans of Roker or “anyone in need of a quick pick-me-up.”

Roker said he would get up an hour or so earlier to work on the book. The house was quiet, he said, and he found the time conducive to working. “You find time for the things you love,” he said. “We waste a lot of time scrolling the internet, going on the TikTok, the Twitter, the this, the that. If it’s something you believe in, you find the time.”

In terms of the book title, Roker said he hears it a lot from viewers. “I understand you think that’s a compliment,” he said, “but it’s really not.”

The Weather Channel is launching a new morning show that will be available only on mobile devices.

The Lift debuts Oct. 15 and will be hosted by Al Roker, who will be joined by meteorologists Domenica Davis and Ari Sarsalari. The network cancelled the Today show weatherman's show on cable a few weeks ago.

The show will consist of six to eight clips focused on breaking weather news, nature stories, science items and viral videos. It will be accessible via the Weather Channel app. 

Read more at B&C.