The Insider; Waving The `Today' banner.(TV Currents)

TelevisionWeek, July, 2005

Byline: Michele Greppi Three months after becoming executive producer of NBC's "Today,'' Jim Bell finds the learning curve less steep and the wakeup routine less daunting. The bank of stories and commitments that were in the pipeline when he replaced Tom Touchet has just about been exhausted.

The "checkerboard'' that displays plans for days and weeks ahead reflects the changing voice of the show, which Mr. Bell wants to sound less scripted and more fun-when that's not at the expense of the news. "I feel like we're there,'' Mr. Bell told The Insider last week, ...