Dozens of NBC News and MSNBC employees have have packed Bill’s Bar and Burger this afternoon for a Summer Kick-off. The party, just across the street from Rockefeller Center, is to celebrate the upcoming coverage of the London Olympic games. Everyone in attendance received an NBC London 2012 t-shirt. And we’re told that in addition to the usual burgers and fries, there was British fare like Shepherd’s Pie and fish & chips.

NBC News president Steve Capus and “Today” EP Jim Bell were featured in a video that played on the screens throughout the restaurant. Both talked about their first Olympics experiences. Capus, an MSNBC original, talked about covering the 1996 Atlanta games, when MSNBC was just 4 days old. Bell, a former NBC Sports staffer, worked his first games in Barcelona in 1992, where he met his wife, Angelique. Twenty years and four kids later, Bell will be running NBC’s Olympic telecasts in London.

The NBC News teams will start heading across the pond in a few weeks preparing for the opening ceremony July 27.

TVNewser dropped by the Eventi Hotel the other evening for a book party thrown by “Today” show EP Jim Bell in honor of “Today’s” health and nutrition guru Joy Bauer on the publication of her new book, “The Joy Fit Club.”

Bauer was joined by her two familes — her biological one and the “Today” show gang, including Savannah Guthrie, Kathie Lee Gifford, Hoda Kotb, Jeff Rossen, Tamron Hall, Barbara Corcoran and Jean Chatzky. “It’s just us! This is all you get,” joked Gifford as she greeted Bauer. Main anchors Matt Lauer, Ann Curry and Al Roker could not attend as Roker and Lauer were still in London covering the Queen’s Jubilee and Curry was on vacation.

The author of several books, Bauer told us “Joy Fit Club” is different in that it’s her first in conjunction with “Today” and her segments of the same name.

The cookbook and diet plan “comes from 6 years of ['Today' show segments] trying to show people how to eat well and stay healthy,” Bauer tells us.

We caught up with Bell who has personally benefited from Bauer’s wellness tips, shedding 50 pounds, and keeping it off. The “Today” show frontman is about to turn his attention to the Olympics where he’ll be taking over for legendary Olympics showrunner Dick Ebersol producing NBC’s primetime. That means a lot of long days ahead.

“It’ll be Midnight London time, 7pm on the east coast until 5am every night,” says Bell. “I’ll get a few hours of sleep, and then go check out the ‘Today’ show.” The time difference means the morning show will start at Noon London time, each day.

NBC may want to bring along Bauer just to make sure everyone’s eating healthy.

(Photo: Heidi Gutman/NBC)

Amy Robach gave a tearful goodbye to the weekend “Today” show this morning. Robach, who has been co-anchor of the Saturday edition since 2007, will also be leaving NBC News at the expiration of her contract, TVNewser has learned.

“I want to thank everybody,” said Robach. “I could not name everyone in the studio right now who has made every Saturday morning, when that alarm clock goes off, worth getting up for.”

“Of course, Lester, you have been an amazing partner,” said Robach to her co-anchor Lester Holt.

Robach, who is married actor Andrew Shue, said through tears, “This has been a family and I’ve been through a lot over the past nine years,” as her daughters and step-son joined her on the couch.

Robach joined “Today” from MSNBC where she had been an anchor for four years. Before that Robach was an anchor at WTTG in Washington, DC.

TVNewser has learned this could be the beginning of more shifts for the weekend edition of “Today” which is overseen by weekday “Today” EP Jim Bell. “Amy is a talented journalist and consummate reporter, and we wish her all the best,” said Bell in a statement to TVNewser.

The show also recently bid farewell to weather anchor Janice Huff on the Sunday edition. Huff continues her duties as chief meteorologist at WNBC. Also, the show’s senior producer Andrea D’Ambrosio is leaving to take a job at “Dr. Oz,” where former “Today” senior producer Amy Chiaro is the co-executive producer.

The changes come as the Saturday edition of “Good Morning America” is making gains on the venerable weekend “Today” show, the Saturday edition of which first went on the air nearly 20 years ago, on August 1, 1992.

As for Robach’s next stop, Holt teased, “We’ll hear about your future in short order.”

> Update: Looks like that next stop is ABC News.

Ann Curry was one of the eight women honored at the New York Women in Communications 2012 Matrix Awards luncheon at the Waldorf-Astoria today.

In her acceptance speech, Curry praised her female colleagues in television — “Barbara, Jane, Connie, Lesley, Diane” — as well as her “great bosses, especially the exceptional men I get to work for today.”

“I’m not sucking up, even though recent ratings events might dictate that I should,” Curry joked.

NBC News president Steve Capus and “Today” show EP Jim Bell were at the NBC table, alongside Al Roker and Hoda Kotb. Curry’s award was presented to her by her “Today” show predecessor Meredith Vieira.

Barbara Walters, Katie Couric and Lesley Stahl also served as presenters during the luncheon. FishbowlNY has more on the 2012 Matrix Awards.

(Photo credit: Getty Images)

With final Nielsen numbers now out, ABC’s “Good Morning America” has topped NBC’s “Today” for the first time in more than 16 years. The win was projected Monday with the release of Friday’s preliminary numbers. In the end, “GMA” widened the win by a still-slim 31,000 viewers. “Today” continues the winning streak in A25-54 viewers to 885 weeks (longer than the Total Viewer streak had been). “Today” had 257,000 more younger demo viewers than “GMA.”

Rightly, ABC News president Ben Sherwood is taking a victory lap: “All of us at ABC News salute the dynamic team at ‘Good Morning America’ who never sleep and who care so deeply about the program.”

Of course, we congratulate our friends at “Today” for the greatest winning streak in broadcasting history and for their excellence and leadership during this historic run. It’s a special day for ABC News and, after a proper celebration 852 weeks in the making, we’ll get right back to work to be ready tomorrow to help “GMA” viewers start their day with a rewarding experience and big picture understanding of the world.

After Monday’s projected win, “Today” show executive producer Jim Bell commented that the “852-week winning streak had taken on a life of its own and as odd as it is to see it end, we should acknowledge just how remarkable it has been.”

So as we tip our caps to the team at “Good Morning America,” we can also take a bow ourselves and recognize the work done by countless staffers for so long. It is not an overstatement to call it one of the most incredible achievements in television history, one that is not likely to ever happen again. While the streak has been wonderful affirmation of our work, it has never defined us, and we will continue to innovate, take chances and lead the way.

On Monday, December 11, 1995, the “Today” show reported on a snowstorm in Buffalo, U.S. Marines arriving in Bosnia, Michael Jackson‘s collapse during an on-stage rehearsal, and the possibility of MSN and NBC starting a 24-hour cable news channel. That was also the day the show began its run as the #1 morning show on TV. Jeff Zucker was three years into his run as EP of the show, Bryant Gumbel and Katie Couric were co-anchors and Matt Lauer was the newsreader

Compared to the same week last year only “GMA” showed growth: +7% in both Total Viewers and younger viewers. With Matt Lauer on vacation, “Today” was down -9% in Total Viewers and down -13% in younger viewers. While “CBS This Morning” also continues a downward trend from the “Early Show” of last year: down -6% and down -3%

The averages for the week of April 9:

• Total Viewers: NBC: 5.14M / ABC: 5.17M / CBS: 2.51M

• A25-54 viewers: NBC: 2.23M / ABC: 1.97M / CBS: 994K

New York media turned out for a Hollywood Reporter party last night. The Four Seasons was packed with the media hoi polloi for THR’s 35 Most Powerful People in Media event.

As we mentioned earlier, Fox News co-founder and chairman Roger Ailes — one of the 35 — was there. Also honored from Fox News, Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity; from NBC, News president Steve Capus, “Today” EP Jim Bell, co-anchors Matt Lauer (on the cover of the THR issue) and Ann Curry and “Nightly News” anchor Brian Williams; from CBS, News chairman Jeff Fager and News president David Rhodes, “Evening News” anchor Scott Pelley, “This Morning” host Charlie Rose and “60 Minutes” correspondent Steve Kroft; from MSNBC, president Phil Griffin, Mika Brzezinski & Joe Scarborough and Rachel Maddow; from CNN Anderson Cooper and Piers Morgan. And with the biggest group of honorees from ABC, Katie Couric, ABC SVP James Goldston, and anchors Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos, “World News” anchor Diane Sawyer, Barbara Walters and ABC News president Ben Sherwood.

Here’s a gallery with more images from the night.

The party’s still going at the Edison Ballroom in Times Square as the “Today” show celebrates its 60th anniversary. The morning milestone began with a welcome from “Today” frontman Matt Lauer before singer Pit Bull took the stage.

Fourth hour hosts Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford were early arrivals, with Kotb (below) front and center during Pit Bull’s set. We spotted NBC News president Steve Capus and “Today” EP Jim Bell working the room, as longtime EP and, later NBCU president Jeff Zucker was deep in conversation with former “Today” anchor Meredith Vieira.

“Today” senior broadcast producer Don Nash, who’s been with the show more than a third of its life — 23 years — tells TVNewser tomorrow’s anniversary program is not to be missed. All former living on air talent — save for Joe Garagiola and Gene Shalit who aren’t able to make it — will be a part of the show. And we spotted many of them at the party tonight, including Tom Brokaw, Katie Couric, (above) Barbara Walters, John Palmer and Hugh Downs.

NBC spared no expense flying in correspondents from other NBC bureaus including Andrea Mitchell, Kerry Sanders, Kevin Tibbles, Janet Shamlian and Luke Russert.

Brian Williams stopped in after “Nightly News.” And we chatted with “Today” anchors Savannah Guthrie, Jenna Wolfe and Amy Robach, here with husband Andrew Shue, and said hello to Willard Scott on our way out. Other “Today” regulars celebrating  included Jill Rappaport, Martha Stewart, the Scotto family and Bobby Flay. We chatted with Andy Cohen (mostly about NeNe Leakes) who later tonight will be interviewing Rosie O’Donnell on his Bravo show, “Watch What Happens Live.”

Rounding out the crowd: Willie Geist, Jeff Rossen, Martin Bashir, Carl Quintanilla, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Tyler Mathisen, MSNBC president Phil Griffin and CNBC president Mark Hoffman and many more I may have missed. Because, as I said, the party is still going. Then, tomorrow at 7am, “Today” takes the party nationwide.

Andrea Mitchell and Jeff Zucker

Kerry Sanders and Jenna Wolfe

(Photos: Chris Ariens)

With the news of an overhaul at CBS’s morning show, here’s more from Brian Stelter‘s New York Times story on the revamp, from a cross-town rival.

Jim Bell, the executive producer of “Today,” said in an e-mail message that if the CBS changes materialize, “we’ll take it seriously, as we have with each of the previous changes there.”

“There will be skeptics, of course,” Mr. Bell said, “but as we’ve seen with the successful and improbable pairing of Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb at 10 a.m. you have be willing to take a chance if you want to stand out in morning television.”

By the way one month from today, NBC’s “Today” will mark 16 years as the undisputed #1 morning show.

NBC “Today” executive producer Jim Bell has been tapped to lead the network’s 2012 London Olympics coverage as EP. He will continue to oversee “Today,” though he will likely have to spend a few weeks away from the program during the games.

Bell is no stranger to the Olympics, having spent 16 years working for NBC Sports & Olympics before joining “Today.” He worked on every NBC Olympics production going back to 1992, on the sports side from 1992-2004, and on the news side in 2006-2010.

More information in the official announcement, after the jump.

Read more

Radio host Paul Finebaum, a former columnist for al.com who last year wrote that Vanderbilt should be kicked out of the SEC for not being competitive in football, is joining SI.com as a columnist. He reported the news on Twitter, saying his first column will run Thursday. Perhaps his first piece will address the ongoing story involving USA Today oddsmaker Danny Sheridan, who recently went on Finebaum’s radio show claiming to know who paid Cam Newton‘s father, Cecil, so that the 2010 Heisman Trophy Winner would attend Auburn. Sheridan has refused to name the alleged “bag man,” claiming his source within the NCAA would lose their job. The NCAA, for their part, says Sheridan’s claims are without merit.

Finebaum’s popular radio show is syndicated throughout the southeast and can also be heard on Sirius XM Radio (Channel 91).