Vieira joins new NBC newsmagazine team

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NEW YORK, Sept. 13 (UPI) -- NBC News says it has hired Meredith Vieira as special correspondent for "Rock Center with Brian Williams," its new U.S. prime-time newsmagazine.

Vieira left her post as co-anchor of the daily morning program "Today" last May after five years to spend more time with her family.

The former moderator of "The View" will now report for "Rock Center," as well as "Today," "NBC Nightly News" and other NBC News programs. She will additionally contribute to special network programming, including the 2012 London Olympic Games, NBC News President Steve Capus said Tuesday. Her hiring was effective immediately.

"From the day that Meredith joined us at NBC News, we knew she was family," Capus said in a statement. "Meredith's immeasurable talents reach beyond the newsroom to connect with the extraordinary people she interviews as well as the viewers at home. She is as genuine as you can get, a world-class journalist and a captivating storyteller. These skills will be hugely beneficial to 'Rock Center with Brian Williams' and across NBC News."

"As a viewer, one of my earliest memories of Meredith was as a top-flight, first-rate newsmagazine correspondent on 'West 57th' at CBS," added Williams. "I never missed an episode or a story that she worked on. Nothing has changed in all these years. We cannot wait for Meredith to make her first appearance on our new broadcast."