David Neeleman during the filming of "Rock Center." Provided by NBC News 'Rock Center' with Brian Williams/August 2012
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In a week when Mitt Romney has started to show and tell more about his Mormon faith, NBC's "Rock Center" with Brian Williams is devoting a full hour to the subject of what it means to be "Mormon in America."
The special, which "Rock Center" calls "ambitious and lively," airs Thursday, Aug. 23, at 9 p.m. MDT, making NBC the first network to devote a full hour of prime-time television to Mormonism.
"It is a uniquely American faith and church," said the show's executive producer, Rome Hartman. "Next week we will have the first Mormon as the nominee of a national party. This is the time for Mormonism. But it's not just because of Mitt Romney. This is the fastest-growing religion in America right now. The hottest show on Broadway is 'The Book of Mormon.' It is a Mormon moment. And our program has no hidden agenda, no snark. It's an honest, lively look at Mormonism."
For the past two months, correspondents Harry Smith and Kate Snow have been interviewing Mormons around the country, exploring different aspects of the faith.
"We met a lot of great people who were open about their faith and generous with their time," said Smith. "Old guys like me remember listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on the radio back in the day. For a lot of Americans that's about their only reference point to the church. Our reports will reach beyond that."
The church opened its doors to "Rock Central," too. Harry Smith spent considerable time in Salt Lake City visiting the Bishop's Central Storehouse, which contains more than 500,000 square feet of food and supplies. He also toured Welfare Square and watched volunteers make milk, cheese, honey and bread. "It's the best bread I've ever tasted," Smith said. "The best."
In addition to a segment on the church's welfare system, Smith also spent time in New York with JetBlue founder David Neeleman and myself. Both returned missionaries, Neeleman and I are the subject of a segment that explores what makes Mormon executives successful. I was interviewed by Smith at one of the largest hotels in New York City — the Marriott Marquis in Times Square.
"Do you think all the people who stay here know they are in a hotel owned by a Mormon?" Smith asked.
"No," I said. "But maybe when they open the nightstand drawer by the bed and see the Book of Mormon they start to figure it out."
Neeleman spent two hours with Smith, showing him maps of where he served his mission in Brazil, as well as flight patterns for the new airline Neeleman has launched in Brazil — Azul.
