Former 'Today' anchor Ann Curry welcomes a new day at PBS

Ann Curry wishes she hadn't cried. It's the only regret she holds onto from her last signoff as co-anchor of NBC's "Today."

Her voice shook that morning in 2012 as she spoke directly to viewers who saw her as a groundbreaker, and apologized for not being able to carry the ball across the goal line.

"I said what I said; I meant what I said," Curry said during a recent visit to Minneapolis, lingering over a lunch of salad and grilled octopus at Minneapolis' Monello Cucina. "However you deal with those moments that may come in your life, stay true to yourself. I think that's the key."

Getting viewers to shed a few tears of their own is clearly one target of Curry's new PBS series. Premiering Tuesday, "We'll Meet Again" reunites ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances, including a Vietnam War baby searching for her American father, and civil rights workers eager to thank those in the Deep South who came to their aid when they needed it most.

Curry is reporter and executive producer of the weekly show, which plays to her strength as an empathetic witness, a quality that can come across as melodramatic when Curry is chained behind a desk. Her on-air partnership with "Today" co-anchor Matt Lauer led to a ratings slump and rumors that Lauer wanted her gone.

"I actually never wanted to be an anchor. Never, ever," said Curry, weeks before accusations of sexual misconduct led to Lauer's own exit. "When I was first asked to take the job, I said no.

"But I was convinced by NBC to reconsider. I realized it was an opportunity to fight for stories and have a bigger voice. And you know what? I loved it. I loved the direct connection you have with your viewers."

In person, Curry's curiosity and compassion were on display as she grilled cabdrivers about the Twin Cities' growing diversity and complimented the waiter's pitch-perfect broadcast voice.

When the server credited his training as an actor, Curry beamed.

"So normally, you sound like Betty Boop?" she said.

Curry also was not afraid to flash frustration, especially when the conversation turned to Americans being informed by pundits rather than seasoned journalists.

"My dad used to rail at the TV set whenever someone would fill in for Walter," Curry said, referring to CBS anchor Walter Cronkite. " 'Why is he trying to tell me what to think? Don't disrespect me! Tell me the facts!' I don't think the public should give a fig what a journalist thinks."

"What this series is doing is offering the awesome opportunity to report on people searching for each other because they can't let go of someone that influenced them," she said. "These are the stories of all of us."

Neal Justin • 612-673-7431