Move Back
![Good_Morning]()
Rise and Shine! Many of America's most famous television journalists and hosts got their starts on morning news shows. Some of them went on to even bigger and better things. For others, that plum morning gig was the pinnacle of their television careers. Come with us then as we take a look back at those with whom we once drank the day's first cups of coffee.... (AP/Reuters/Reuters) Follow FOX411.com on Twitter.![Barbara_Walters_Then]()
Then: Barbara Walters The pioneer for many female news anchors, Walterswas the first woman to co-host the "Today" show in 1974. The young journalist had started as a "Today Girl" and met with much resistance as she advanced to a writer, a reporter and eventually co-host when host Frank McGee passed away. (Reuters) Follow FOX411.com on Twitter.![Barbara_Walters_Now]()
Now: Barbara Walters In 1979, the TV reporter moved on to "20/20," where she stayed for over two decades. In 1997 she launched "The View" and the 81-year-old still sits on her couch interviewing high profile guests. (Reuters) Follow FOX411.com on Twitter.![Tom_Brokaw_Then]()
Then: Tom Brokaw Three years after covering Watergate for NBC, Brokaw became host of the "Today" show in 1976. (Reuters) Follow FOX411.com on Twitter.![Tom_Brokaw_Now]()
Now: Tom Brokaw As one of the most popular news anchors of his time, the 70-year-old is now best known for his days co-anchoring "NBC Nightly News," a post he held from 1982 to 2004. (Reuters) Follow FOX411.com on Twitter.![Katie_Couric_Then]()
Then: Katie Couric In 1989 Katie began filling in as a substitute for the hosts of the "Today" show. Being in the right spot at the right time paid off for the go-getter who got a permanent spot as co-host in 1991 when then co-host Deborah Norville decided not to return after her maternity leave. (AP) Follow FOX411.com on Twitter.![Katie_Couric_Now]()
Now: Katie Couric In 2006, the 53-year-old announced that she would be leaving the "Today" show and heading to CBS Evening News to be the first solo female anchor of a nightly news broadcast. Recently there have been rumors that she will return to the "Today" show when Meredith Vieira's contract is up in 2011. (AP) Follow FOX411.com on Twitter.![Bryant_Gumbel_Then]()
Then: Bryant Gumbel The sports reporter took Tom Brokaw's seat as co-host of the "Today" show in 1982 and led the show to huge ratings throughout the '80s. (AP) Follow FOX411.com on Twitter.![Bryant_Gumbel_Now]()
Now: Bryant Gumbel The popular co-host stepped down in 1997 after 15 years on the "Today" show. He had a three year stint on "The Early Show" on CBS before returning his full attention to sports. In 2009 he announced on "Live! with Regis and Kelly" that he had recently had a cancerous tumor removed near his lung. (Reuters) Follow FOX411.com on Twitter.![Deborah_Norville_Then]()
Then: Deborah Norville At 28, Deborah was named the anchor of NBC "News at Sunrise." Two years later, in 1989, she joined the hosts of the "Today" show at the news desk, but her stint there was short-lived as she was replaced by Katie Couric. (AP) Follow FOX411.com on Twitter.![Deborah_Norville_Now]()
Now: Deborah Norville After being replaced by Katie Couric on the "Today" show in 1991, Deborah tried her hand at radio. She hosted her own show, "Deborah Norville - From Her Home to Yours," which was cancelled after a year. In the early '90s she made her way back to TV on CBS shows and later went on to host "Inside Edition" in 1995, a post she still holds today. (AP) Follow FOX411.com on Twitter.![Charles_Gibson_Then]()
Then: Charles Gibson Gibson became co-anchor of "Good Morning America" in 1987, a time when the show was the most watched morning show in the U.S. (AP) Follow FOX411.com on Twitter.![Charles_Gibson_Now]()
Now: Charles Gibson In 1998, after over a decade on the show, Charles Gibson was replaced by Kevin Newman. But when ratings began to plummet, Gibson was asked back to the show and stayed on from 1999 to 2006. In 2005, the 67-year-old anchor began sitting in for Peter Jennings on "World News Tonight." A year later, when Jennings passed away Gibson took over permanently. He retired in late 2009. (Reuters) Follow FOX411.com on Twitter.![Joan_Lunden_Then]()
Then: Joan Lunden In the fall of 1976, a fresh-faced Joan Lunden began filling in for co-host Sandy Hill on "Good Morning America." She won viewer adoration almost immediately and quickly got a promotion to co-host, alongside David Hartman, and later Charles Gibson. (AP) Follow FOX411.com on Twitter.![Joan_Lunden_Now]()
Now: Joan Lunden The face of morning TV retired in 1997. When she left "GMA," she took millions of viewers with her according to TV Guide. Since her days of morning news, Lunden has gone on to host various other shows on A&E and Lifetime. She has also written several self-help books about healthy living. (AP) Follow FOX411.com on Twitter.![Jane_Pauley_Then]()
Then: Jane Pauley From 1976 to 1989, Jane Pauley co-hosted the "Today" show with Tom Brokaw, and later with Bryant Gumbel. (AP) Follow FOX411.com on Twitter.![Jane_Pauley_Now]()
Now: Jane Pauley The 60-year-old Indianapolis native went on to host "Real Life with Jane Pauley and segments for "NBC Nightly News." She later co-hosted "Dateline NBC" from 1992 to 2003. (AP) Follow FOX411.com on Twitter.![Diane_Sawyer_Then]()
Then: Diane Sawyer Diane Sawyer became co-host of the "CBS Morning News" in 1981. Eight years later she made the switch to prime time TV. In 1999 she went back to her morning show roots and signed on as a co-host for "Good Morning America." (AP) Follow FOX411.com on Twitter.![Diane_Sawyer_Now]()
Now: Diane Sawyer In late 2009, Sawyer switched gears again to take over for Charles Gibson on "ABC World News." She signs off every broadcast with: "I'll see you right back here tomorrow night." Until she switches back to mornings! (AP) Follow FOX411.com on Twitter.![Gary_Collins_Then]()
Then: Gary Collins The actor turned newscaster hosted "Hour Magazine" throughout the '80s and then co-hosted "The Home Show" in the early '90s. In 1983, he won an Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show Host. (AP) Follow FOX411.com on Twitter.![Gary_Collins_Now]()
Now: Gary Collins In recent years, Collins has been better recognized for his multiple arrests and mug shots than for his work on TV. In 2002 he was charged with three counts of driving under the influence. In 2007 he was involved in a crash and it was unclear whether he was under the influence or not. Then in 2009 he was charged with another DUI and was sentenced to a 120-day house arrest. As recently as Nov. 2, he was reportedly involved in a hit and run. Follow FOX411.com on Twitter.![Space_Ghost_Coast_to_Coast]()
Then/Now: Space Ghost The Cartoon Network came out with their own version of a morning news show in 1994, "Space Ghost: Coast to Coast." The show was a parody of regular news shows, with Space Ghost in the anchor seat for the broadcast from Ghost Planet. It aired for 10 seasons. Space Ghost never worked in television news again. (Cartoon Network) Follow FOX411.com on Twitter.Then/Now: Former Morning News Hosts
Remember the days of Tom Brokaw and Barbara Walters on the morning news? Let's take a look at how far some news anchors have some - or in some cases how low they've fallen.
Move Forward
- Then/Now: Former Morning News Hosts
