AL ROKER BIO
HOST OF “EMPOWERING PARENTS”
As weatherman and a host of NBC's “The Today Show,” Al Roker greets more than 30 million viewers each week as America prepares for work. A ten-time Emmy Award winner, Roker conducts celebrity interviews, cooking segments, technology updates, and a continuing series for “Today” called "Today's Dad," featuring parenting tips for fathers. Host of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, the Rose Bowl parade, and the Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller Center, Roker has also presided over his own talk show on CNBC, “Al Roker,” and hosted MSNBC's information quiz show, “Remember This?,” which earned him a 1997 Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Game Show Host.
Raised in Queens, New York, Roker received a BA in communications and later an honorary doctorate from the State University in Oswego. He began his broadcasting career while still in college by landing a job as a weekend weatherman at WTVH-TV in Syracuse, New York, in 1974. After graduation, he moved on to weathercasting jobs in Washington, DC, and Cleveland, Ohio, before becoming the weekend weathercaster at WNBC in New York in 1983.
A best-selling author with acclaimed books to his credit, Roker's first book, Don't Make Me Stop This Car: Adventures in Fatherhood spent weeks atop the New York Times bestseller list. His second book, Al Roker's Big Bad Book of Barbecue was a summer blockbuster and New York Times bestseller. His third book, Al Roker's Hassle-Free Holiday Cookbook, was released in 2003.
In addition to his network duties, Roker has carved out a successful career as an entrepreneur. Now in its fifth year, Al Roker Productions, Inc. is Roker's thriving multimedia company set up to produce "all things Al." The company is involved in the development and production of network, cable, home video, and public television projects. Two of the most successful projects include the critically acclaimed special on PBS about severe weather, “Savage Skies,” and a highly rated travel series called “Going Places.” Other projects include “Roker on the Road” for Food Network and a series of specials, including “Al Roker's World Championship Barbecue,” “Al Roker's Midwest Fest,” “Al Roker's Dining on the Strip,” and “Al Roker's Around the World in New York City.” Al Roker Productions has also partnered with Lifetime, Court TV and Fine Living.
Roker stays in close touch with his audience through another popular undertaking - his Web site - which features thoughts on a variety of subjects, daily cartoons, brain-busting trivia, and merchandise personally designed by Roker. Roker resides in Manhattan with his wife, ABC News and “20/20” correspondent Deborah Roberts, and has two daughters and a son.
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