Craig Melvin, a Wofford College graduate and “TODAY” co-anchor, recently revisited Columbia to film a hometown tour segment.
The “TODAY” episode will air on NBC this week and will feature Melvin on his Midlands ventures.
Nearly a year ago, the Emmy-award-winning journalist took over Hoda Kotb’s spot on “TODAY,” describing his new role as more than just a host to the Post & Courier Free Times.
“You don’t just host the show, you’re not just one of the pieces of the show,” he said. “You’re kind of the mayor of this small town, and the name of the town is ‘TODAY.'”
Melvin also told the Columbia newspaper that his time away from his hometown has made him appreciate it even more.
“I love it more now that I have moved away,” he said. “I’ve traveled the world, I’ve seen a lot, but man, Columbia’s it.”
Here’s what to know about Melvin’s hometown segment on NBC.
What ties does Melvin have to South Carolina?
According to previous Greenville News coverage, Melvin is a native of Columbia, having graduated from Columbia High School. He began his career in broadcasting at WIS-TV in Columbia, where he worked while studying in high school.
“It is here that he learned what it means to be a journalist. It is here that he spent nearly 36 hours on the streets, sleeping in Finlay Park, for a story highlighting people experiencing homelessness,” said the Post & Courier Free Times.
Melvin majored in government at Wofford College in Spartanburg and graduated in 2001.
“Six years later, and a few weeks after leaving Wofford with my government degree in hand, I found myself working at the same station (WIS-TV) and I was stoked. For me, the newsroom was a professional paradise – the constant hustle and bustle and a new and exciting story to be told every day,” Melvin said in a 2020 Spartanburg Magazine cover story.
Where did Melvin go during his Columbia visit?
On his Columbia visit, Melvin returned to his preschool ― the place where he recalled learning how to read ― and wept when reminiscing about his memories there, according to the Post & Courier Free Times. He also went to Lizard’s Thicket, where he purchased art from Ernest “The Chicken Man” Lee.
While revisiting his old barbershop, Melvin thought of the Midlands and its community.
“Columbia is just such a warm hug for me every time I go back,” he told the Post & Courier Free Times.
Melvin’s most recent trip to Columbia brought him back to Finley Park ― now new, but familiar ― and to the nearby post office on Assembly Street, where his father used to work as a mail clerk. Sometimes, his father would take him along for special occasions.
“The great influences in my life were – and it sounds cliché – my parents. My mom was the first in the family to go to college, and my dad worked third shift as a post office clerk for 40 years, working that shift for the extra hours for his family. He sacrificed a lot, and she did, too. Later, she was a schoolteacher,” Melvin told Spartanburg Magazine in 2020.
“Today” hosts Al Roker, left, Craig Melvin, Hoda Kotb, and Savannah Guthrie try giant croissants before filming during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
How to watch Melvin’s ‘TODAY’ hometown segment on NBC?
You can catch Melvin’s “TODAY” hometown segment on NBC or TODAY.com on Thursday, Nov. 6, at 7 a.m.
Nina Tran covers trending topics for The Greenville News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her via email at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Here’s how to tune into Craig Melvin’s ‘TODAY’ episode featuring Columbia
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