• by Wayne Friedman , June 2, 2006

Katie Couric's departure from "The Today Show" on Wednesday gave NBC's early morning show its fourth highest ratings since 1987, the year that Nielsen's People Meters were introduced.

Some 8.4 million viewers tuned in. Typically, the show averages between 5 million and 6 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.

The show had bigger numbers following the 2000 presidential election (12.3 million), the 2004 presidential election (9.0 million) and the 1989 San Francisco earthquake (8.5 million). The Couric finale bettered Bryant Gumbel's last day in 1997 (8.0 million) and Jane Pauley's in 1989 (5.6 million).

Couric is leaving "Today" after 15 years to become the sole anchor of "The CBS Evening News."

The last days of the Couric tenure reportedly drove "Today's" ad rates up as high as $100,000 per 30-second spot.