Ann Curry to Be Fired From The 'Today' Show

[Brian Damage]

It’s (sorta) official: Ann Curry‘s Todays are numbered.

NBC is readying a plan to replace Matt Lauer’s embattled co-host just one year after she succeeded Meredith Viera, according to the New York Times.

The news comes as the Today show attempts to reclaim its long-held perch as TV’s most-watched morning program. This Spring, Good Morning America ended Today‘s 16-year-long winning streak. Many have blamed the ratings erosion on Curry’s lack of chemistry with Lauer.

One option being discussed, per the Times, involves Curry segueing into a foreign correspondent role — something many consider to be her strength.

Today’s Savannah Guthrie is considered the odds-on favorite to replace Curry.

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.co...?smid=tw-share

[USATVFAN]

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

It’s (sorta) official: Ann Curry‘s Todays are numbered.

NBC is readying a plan to replace Matt Lauer’s embattled co-host just one year after she succeeded Meredith Viera, according to the New York Times.

The news comes as the Today show attempts to reclaim its long-held perch as TV’s most-watched morning program. This Spring, Good Morning America ended Today‘s 16-year-long winning streak. Many have blamed the ratings erosion on Curry’s lack of chemistry with Lauer.

One option being discussed, per the Times, involves Curry segueing into a foreign correspondent role — something many consider to be her strength.

Today’s Savannah Guthrie is considered the odds-on favorite to replace Curry.

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.co...?smid=tw-share

This whole thing is kind starting to turn into a Soap opera...

[USATVFAN]

The New York Times usually get theses types of things right and are usually never wrong with this type of stuff... so Good Bye Ann! and see you around! Hello and Good Morning Savannah... Or Welcome Back Meredith!?!?!!! Good to see you again!

I heard that they may bring(Lure) back Meredith to the show in a short-Term Contract to restore ratings and Stability.

Bring back Meredith Short Time(6 Months or so Contract trough the election)! Restore ratings, Build up Savannah News Experience even more, Make her even Stronger news person then before then at the end of Meredith 6 Months Run and ratings riding high bring in savannah to be Permanent Co-Host! Next month Meredith will be n The today show every single Morning for Two weeks(12 Days total) She did the Jubilee last week with Matt and it was as if she never left, She has been showing u on The Today show and quite a bit lately and Ann ahs been gone a lot.

Make Ann a Foreign correspondent, s?he is at her best when she is on lactation and during Hard news reporting/Interviews in Disaster, War Zones zones, Humanitarian crisis area etc.

I would be Perfectly Fine/Happy if they replaced Ann with Savannah form the get Go! I like Savannah and I think she does a good Job. She has better Chemistry with Matt, Al and Natalie. The Energy always goes up when Ann s gone and Savannah is filling in.

Although I have been also noticing some tension between Savannah and Natalie lately over the last couple months. She seem to be getting pushed to the back lately by savannah. After Amy Robach left I would not be surprise if Natalie get fed up and derides to jump to another Network!

[TMC]

Why didn't Curry succeed as "Today" co-host?

[catlover79]

WOW. I like the idea of bringing Meredith back short-term (until November, that is). That would be more than enough time to get the replacement ready. This thing IS like a soap opera!!

I bet what goes on at TODAY when the cameras are off - THAT'S the stuff the viewers would actually be entertained by!!

[Leigh Ann]

I like the Meredith idea too. This whole thing is crazy...First it was speculation about Matt, and now Ann.

[USATVFAN]

The last couple mornings on TODAY Show(Thursday and this Morning) has been Tense between the anchors.

I have been noticing Tension between some of the Anchors for Months now especially between Natalie and Savannah!!! But on Thursday morning and this morning it was a pretty tense feeling Atmosphere on the sets/Studio, I got a pretty tense vibe from Ann toward Savannah(most of the time Ann always interview Savannah about whatever case is going on for Legal Analysis or whatever Major case is going on like Sandusky but this Morning it Matt was who was talking with Savannah about the Sandusky Case and NOT ANN a day after all this started... It's make you wonder) This whole thing is starting to turn into another Jane Pauley-Deborah Norville controversity. The Only peoples who seem happy this morning were Katihe Lee and Hoda. But everything this morning on the sets and the energy and the tension between most of the anchors was kind of Tense. It was pretty muchh tension Filled Show! This Morning Matt, Al, Natalie and Ann were on the couch talking and kind of joking a little bit and then Ann jump and make a comments and they all suddenly stop laughing and kind of look at like... huh like they were confused or something?

I thought Al was friends with Ann and that they were close? for some reason lately I have been noticing that he seems a little annoyed by her.

Deep down you have to feel a little sorry for Ann,

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

It’s (sorta) official: Ann Curry‘s Todays are numbered.

NBC is readying a plan to replace Matt Lauer’s embattled co-host just one year after she succeeded Meredith Viera, according to the New York Times.

The news comes as the Today show attempts to reclaim its long-held perch as TV’s most-watched morning program. This Spring, Good Morning America ended Today‘s 16-year-long winning streak. Many have blamed the ratings erosion on Curry’s lack of chemistry with Lauer.

One option being discussed, per the Times, involves Curry segueing into a foreign correspondent role — something many consider to be her strength.

Today’s Savannah Guthrie is considered the odds-on favorite to replace Curry.

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.co...?smid=tw-share

They are getting your girl Brian?-lol NBC is just plain wrong

[catlover79]

Originally Posted by Leigh Ann

I like the Meredith idea too. This whole thing is crazy...First it was speculation about Matt, and now Ann.

Meredith has been doing things for various NBC News ventures. I know she left TODAY to spend more time with her husband (who has MS), so I do wonder if even a short-term return to the show would work. I guess we'll just have to wait and see!!

[TVFactFan]

I found today that NBC still has to pay Ann Curry $10 million dollars for the next 3 years

[catlover79]

Originally Posted by TVFactFan

I found today that NBC still has to pay Ann Curry $10 million dollars for the next 3 years

Not a bad consolation prize!!!!

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by catlover79

Not a bad consolation prize!!!!

Not at all. Can't believe she is being blamed for the ratings

[USATVFAN]

Ann Curry is set to Announce her Departure from 'TODAY' Tomorrow Morning on The TODAY Show, Tomorrow Could also be her last Day on the show!

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.co...re-from-today/


June 27, 2012, 6:37 PM2 Comments
Curry Set to Announce Departure From ‘Today’
By BRIAN STELTER

Ann Curry is likely to announce her departure from NBC’s “Today” show on television on Thursday morning, people with close ties to the network said on Wednesday evening.

The announcement would cap weeks of private negotiations between Ms. Curry and NBC officials, who have been trying to ease her out of the “Today” show co-host chair that she has held for a year.

This week, NBC officials began negotiations with Savannah Guthrie, Ms. Curry’s expected successor on the show. But Ms. Guthrie will most likely not be mentioned when Ms. Curry informs viewers about her intentions to leave “Today.”

The announcement plans are subject to change up until Thursday morning, according to the people close to the network, who insisted on anonymity to describe internal deliberations. It is unknown whether Thursday will also be Ms. Curry’s last day as co-host.

NBC has not commented on Ms. Curry’s status at the show since last week, when The New York Times reported that the network had offered her a new job within the news division. The offer was made after senior NBC executives concluded that they had miscast Ms. Curry as the co-host of “Today” alongside Matt Lauer, who has held the job for more than 15 years. In April, Mr. Lauer renewed his contract at the network.

Ms. Curry rebuffed the offer at first, according to several people with knowledge of the negotiations, but in recent days she has come to accept it.

Ms. Curry’s lawyer, Robert Barnett, did not respond to a request for comment about the announcement plans. A spokesman for NBC declined to comment.

The transition is exceedingly sensitive because “Today” is a profit center for NBC, responsible for nearly $500 million in advertising revenue a year, according to the research firm Kantar Media. Despite pressure from ABC’s “Good Morning America,” it remains rated No. 1 on most days.

Last Thursday, the morning after the negotiations were reported, “Today” out-rated “Good Morning America” by about half a million viewers, its best margin in two weeks. People at both networks attributed this to curiosity about whether Ms. Curry would come into work — and she did, and she continued to do so through Wednesday. Ms. Curry and Mr. Lauer have made no mention of her expected exit on the show.

For several days now, NBC officials have been eying Thursday for an announcement by Ms. Curry, in part because she is scheduled to have Friday off. The officials are eager to make the change at “Today” before the Summer Olympics, which will be broadcast by NBC beginning in late July.

On Wednesday, when the network held a news conference to promote its Olympics coverage, the NBCUniversal chief executive, Stephen B. Burke, said he viewed the games as a chance “to revitalize the ‘Today’ show.” Jim Bell, the executive producer of both “Today” and the Olympics coverage, declined to comment on the transition plans at the news conference.

The network may wait until early July to publicly identify Ms. Guthrie as Ms. Curry’s successor in the chair next to Mr. Lauer. Ms. Guthrie is now the co-host of the 9 a.m. hour of “Today” and the chief legal correspondent for the news division.

The people with close ties to NBC said that Tamron Hall, an MSNBC anchor and frequent fill-in host on “Today,” was the leading contender to replace Ms. Guthrie at 9 a.m.
-



http://www.businessweek.com/news/201...-times-reports

Ann Curry Plans ‘Today’ Show Exit, New York Times Reports
By Alex Sherman on June 27, 2012 Tweet Facebook LinkedIn Google Plus 0 Comments
Companies Mentioned

CMCSA
COMCAST CORP
$31.04 USD 0.47 1.5%
Company Lookup
Go

Ann Curry will leave as co-host of NBC’s “Today” show, the New York Times reported. The shakeup follow ratings gains by ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

Curry, 55, will announce her departure as Matt Lauer’s co- host on tomorrow’s show, the newspaper said, citing unidentified people with close ties to the network. Savannah Guthrie, a 9 a.m. co-host, is negotiating with the Comcast Corp.-owned network to replace Curry in July, the Times said.

The switch is aimed at protecting NBC’s lead in viewers after “Good Morning America” topped “Today” in weekly Nielsen audience ratings in April for the first time in 16 years. NBC’s weekday morning show has trailed “GMA” on several other occasions over the past two months.

Robert Barnett, Curry’s attorney, declined to discuss his client’s status when reached by Bloomberg News. NBC officials didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Curry spent 14 years as news anchor of “Today” before succeeding Meredith Vieira as co-host last year. Guthrie, 40, is a co-host of the third hour of “Today,” and is NBC’s chief legal correspondent.

The NBC broadcast network generated (CMCSA) $1.85 billion of revenue in the first quarter, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. “Today” brings in almost $500 million in annual advertising revenue, the Times reported today.

Comcast, based in Philadelphia, is the largest U.S. cable TV service and holds a controlling stake in NBC Universal, which includes the NBC network, Universal Pictures film studio, theme parks and cable channels E!, USA and MSNBC.

Curry anchored “Dateline NBC” from May 2005 until September 2011, according to her “Today” website biography. She joined NBC News in August 1990 as a Chicago-based correspondent.

Comcast rose 1.5 percent to $31.04 at the close in New York. The shares have climbed 31 percent so far this year.

To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Sherman in New York at asherman6@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Anthony Palazzo at apalazzo@bloomberg.net; Nick Turner at

[TVFactFan]

The TV business is a "dirty business"


NBC is just wrong

[catlover79]

WOW.