Q. Is there some sort of resource available with definitive information about names and titles of various media programs? For example, is Oprah Winfrey’s talk show really The Oprah Winfrey Show or just Oprah? Do Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira appear on The Today Show or Today? Often there is conflicting information. An authoritative resource would be extremely helpful for the copyediting process.
A. These days, the most authoritative resource for such things is often the website run by a program’s owner. According to the Today show’s website, they’re just Today (in quotation marks, but Chicago’s rule is to put the titles of shows in italics). Oprah’s talk show is officially called The Oprah Winfrey Show, though its website also refers to The Oprah Show.