Couric is the longtime host of the NBC morning program The Today Show. Couric worked briefly at CNN and ABC, and as a reporter in Washington, D.C. and Miami, before joining NBC News in 1989. She joined the Today show in 1990, becoming permanent co-anchor in 1991. With her perky attitude and no-holds-barred interviewing style, Couric boosted the show's sagging ratings and she became one of morning TV's most popular personalities. Her husband, Jay Monahan, died in 1998 of colon cancer, and in 1999 Couric co-founded a non-profit organization for cancer research and education. In April 2006 Couric signed a contract (reportedly worth $15 million) with CBS to anchor the CBS Evening News.