“Rock Center With Brian Williams” Debuts on Halloween; “Playboy Club” Canceled

Brian Williams' news magazine, which has been waiting for a debut date, will take to the airwaves on Halloween night. It will be taking over the time slot vacated by the cancellation of "The Playboy Club," the first show of the new fall season to have its plug pulled.

"Rock Center With Brian Williams," NBC's prime-time news program, will make its premiere Monday, Oct. 31 at 10 pm, the network announced Tuesday. The show also will feature Harry Smith, Kate Snow and contributors from NBC News, including Meredith Vieira, Dr. Nancy Snyderman, Richard Engel, Matt Lauer and Ann Curry.

The show replaces "The Playboy Club," starring Amber Heard and Eddie Cibrian, which the Associated Press reported was being canceled. Repeats of "Prime Suspect," the cop drama starring Maria Bello, will run in its time slot for the next three weeks.

"Rock Center’ will cover a slightly different world than anything else on television,” said Williams. “The format will be good, real, hard journalism – and then some. We intend to be the new home of quality journalism on a weekly basis, and on the web at all times.”

NBC News president Steve Capus was enthusiastic about the show's prospects.

"Brian Williams already anchors America’s most watched, honored and respected nightly news broadcast.  ‘Rock Center’ now gives him, and our all-star cast of journalists an opportunity to take viewers on a weekly journey of discovery," said Capus. "Smart, original and occasionally irreverent, we hope it will become a destination for viewers looking for something special."

The show will broadcast live from Studio 3B in Rockefeller Center. In addition to the broadcast, digital editions will be available online at RockCenterNBC.com and the show's iPad app, according to a press release.

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