today's goodbye to meredith

For morning news programs, I think you gravitate to the network on which you were raised. That's why those morning ratings wars seem as pointless as Coke and Pepsi advertising to me -- you know what you drink and that's not going to change.

In my house growing up, The Today Show was always in the background at breakfast. These days, morning broadcast news isn't really part of my routine, but Today is still my go-to if I need some AM headlines.

This morning was Meredith Vieira's last show. It's a sad day. To me, she's a perfect morning host (and not because she's a fellow Rhode Island native!). She's warm, but smart. Funny, but not obnoxious. A skilled interviewer who (usually) avoids those emotionally manipulative morning news questions. She found the perfect balance between hard news gatherer and fluffy show host -- a balance not often mastered -- and made it look easy.

This was part of Today's send off for Meredith. A music number! It's awesome. I surprised my own self and cried.