The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) today announced that Al Roker—weather and feature anchor of NBC News’ TODAY and co-host of the 3rd hour of TODAY—and Jon Else—renowned documentary filmmaker, cinematographer, producer, and director—will receive Lifetime Achievement honors at the 46th Annual News & Documentary Emmy® Awards.
Roker will be recognized for his distinguished career in broadcast journalism during the News ceremony on Wednesday, June 25. Else will be honored for his groundbreaking contributions to documentary filmmaking at the Documentary ceremony on Thursday, June 26.
“These Lifetime Achievement honors recognize Al Roker and Jon Else for their enduring contributions to the television industry,” said Adam Sharp, President and CEO of NATAS. “We honor not only their remarkable work in front of and behind the camera, but also the lasting impact they have made on audiences, the industry and generations of storytellers. NATAS proudly celebrates their commitment to excellence and pivotal roles in shaping the television landscape.”
Al Roker said, “This is such an incredible honor. I’m just another indication of either an end-of-career or end-of-life award. Either way, I am so thankful to be the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Emmy and thank everyone that I’ve worked with who held me up and helped me achieve this great honor.“
Jon Else said: “It took me by surprise—What?!?!—completely humbling, and I’m honored. Emmys were the last thing I expected when filming little documentaries 50 years ago. I have to say that whatever I’ve done in all these years of making television would never have been remotely possible without the incredible support from the devoted men and women of public broadcasting, and to them, I am forever grateful. And the secret of it all was to always work with crazy smart and crazy skilled collaborators.”
The 46th Annual News & Documentary Emmy® Awards will feature 66 categories across news and documentary programming. Both ceremonies will take place at the Palladium Times Square in New York City and stream live on NATAS’ dedicated viewing platform—available at watch.theemmys.tv and via The Emmys® apps on iOS, tvOS, Android, FireTV, and Roku (full list at apps.theemmys.tv).
Al Roker is the weather and feature anchor of NBC News’ “TODAY” as well as the co-host of the 3rd Hour of “TODAY.” He joined in January 1996. From July 2009 to September 2015, Roker served as co-host of the morning show “Wake Up with Al” on the Weather Channel. Until January 2000, he also served as the weekday weather forecaster for News Channel 4’s early evening newscast “Live at 5” on WNBC-TV, NBC’s flagship owned and operated station in New York City. Roker has been named Best Weatherman twice by New York Magazine. He is a recipient of the American Meteorological Society’s prestigious Seal of Approval and has been a pioneer in the use of computer graphics for weathercasting. Roker has won three Daytime Emmy® Awards as part of “TODAY’s” recognition as the best morning newscast (2007, 2009, 2010). Roker also co-hosts Sirius XM’s “Off the Rails” with Dylan Dreyer and Sheinelle Jones.
Throughout the years, Roker has reported live for “TODAY” from some of history’s worst storms and natural disasters including Hurricane Wilma, Hurricane Isaac, Superstorm Sandy and the earthquake in Haiti. Among many highlights of his career as an interviewer, Roker conducted an exclusive interview with Peanuts creator Charles Shultz shortly before his death from colon cancer. Additional interview highlights include Willie Nelson, Burt Reynolds, James Earl Jones and B. Smith. Since 1985, Roker has co-hosted the annual Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting. He also co-hosts the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Rose Bowl Parade. For ten years, from 2001 to 2010, and in 2017, Roker’s “Lend a Hand Today” initiative took him across the country and raised millions to help small charities work towards improving conditions in their communities. In 1994, Roker founded Al Roker Entertainment, Inc. (ARE), a thriving multimedia company involved in the development and production of network, cable, home video, and public television projects. ARE produces programming for a diverse clientele including NBC News, Lifetime Television, A&E, The History Channel, E!, Discovery Networks, PBS, TV ONE, Oxygen, The Cartoon Network and NBC Television Stations Group. Roker is a bestselling author with 13 acclaimed books to his credit. He resides in Manhattan with his wife, ABC News correspondent Deborah Roberts. Roker has two daughters and one son.
Jon Else is a documentary filmmaker best known for “The Day After Trinity: J. Robert Oppenheimer and the Atomic Bomb,” and “Cadillac Desert.” He was series producer and cinematographer for Henry Hampton’s now legendary “Eyes On The Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years.” Else produced, directed, and photographed “Sing Faster: The Stagehands’ ‘Ring Cycle,’” “Wonders Are Many: The Making of “Doctor Atomic,” “Yosemite: The Fate of Heaven,” “Palace of Delights: the Exploratorium,” and “Open Outcry,” a film about commodities traders at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. His most recent feature documentary “Land of Gold,” about the California Gold Rush, premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and was broadcast nationwide primetime “PBS Great Performances” in 2024. He directed the documentary program at the Graduate School Of Journalism at U.C. Berkeley from 1997 to 2015, and has won National Emmys for writing, producing, directing, and cinematography, several Columbia-DuPonts and Peabody Awards, as well as several Academy Award nominations, the Prix Italia, the Sundance Special Jury Prize, and Sundance Filmmaker’s Trophy. He executive produced the Sundance winner “The Force,” about the Oakland Police Department, directed by Peter Nicks, “The Island President,” Jon Shenk’s feature about Mohamed Nasheed, president of The Maldives, and Lourdes Portillo’s “My McQueen.” Else served as cinematographer on hundreds of documentaries for The BBC, PBS, ABC, MTV, Arte, HBO, and Netflix, including the Paramount/MTV feature, “Tupac: Resurrection,” “Inside Guantanamo,” the BBC/PBS series “History Of Rock And Roll,” “Who Are The DeBolts” (Academy Award), “Afghanistan: Hell of a Nation,” Nova’s “Fire Wars,” several independent feature films, as well as hundreds commercials and music videos. He shot “Food, Inc,” and “Last Call At the Oasis,” both for Participant Media, “John Adams Road Movies” for Arte. Else is the author of “True South: Henry Hampton and ‘Eyes On The Prize,’” (Viking in 2017), and is currently finishing a book about nuclear testing for the Harvard University Press. He is a MacArthur fellow.
About the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) is a non-profit service organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, educational, and technical achievements within the television industry. It recognizes excellence in television with the coveted Emmy® Awards for Children’s & Family, News & Documentary, Sports, Daytime entertainment and Daytime Creative Arts programming as well as achievements in television Technology & Engineering.
NATAS membership consists of nearly 18,000 broadcast and media professionals represented in 19 regional chapters across the country as well as newly announced National Membership. Beyond awards, NATAS has extensive educational programs including regional and national Student Production Awards for outstanding journalistic and production work by high school students, as well as scholarships, publications, and major activities for both industry professionals and the viewing public. NATAS is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate the life experiences and diversity of our team, our members, and the vibrant community of creative professionals we serve. For more information go to www.theemmys.tv
