• Broadcasting & Cable, Monday, August 13, 2007 11:15 AM

Ann Curry, Natalie Morales and Hoda Kotb will host the new fourth hour of NBC's "Today," insiders say, and the trio will be joined by a rotation of guest hosts, including Food Network's Giada De Laurentiis and New York Giants running back Tiki Barber. The additional hour of the show will launch Sept. 11 and main anchors Meredith Vieira and Matt Lauer will not be part of it.

Curry is "Today's" news-anchor and a co-host of prime-time newsmagazine "Dateline," while Morales is a national correspondent on the show who frequently fills in at the news desk. Kotb, a correspondent for "Dateline," has not previously been involved in morning news save as host of the syndicated "Your Total Health."

The new hour is an attempt by NBC News to squeeze more money form its morning franchise, which can rake in as much as $450 million a year in revenue. Sill, anchor changes at "Today" and No. 2 "Good Morning America" on ABC have been hurting the daypart, with the former posting a 6% audience decline, and the latter falling 2%. Distant No. 3, CBS' "Early Show," is up 1% and is trying to build on that by dumping its current system of allowing 40 affiliates to insert local content into the first hour, a deal that has made it hard for the program to establish a national profile.

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