CBS' Katie Couric, NBC's Brian Williams and ABC's Charles Gibson are all set to join dozens of A-list entertainers and sports figures on "Stand Up to Cancer," a live, one-hour special being simulcast at 8 p.m. EDT Friday on ABC, CBS and NBC, as well as cable's E! Entertainment channel.

It is hardly a coincidence that each one of the three evening news anchors has lost loved ones to cancer and has something in common with nearly everybody.

"It's great after these two political conventions, with two very different visions, to be able to take part in a tripartisan event that will really unite the country behind a common cause," Couric said told The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday. "It's a perfect ending for me to these two weeks."

"Cancer is a universal health threat," Gibson said, "something you need to keep in the public consciousness."

Williams said his mother and sister died of cancer: "Given my family history, it's not a question of will I have cancer, but in what form and when," he said.