It has been nine months since Ann Curry made her emotionally raw exit from ‘TODAY’ and Matt Lauer continues to pay a heavy price for NBC’s decision to fire the popular co-host.
The network brought Savannah Guthrie on board to shore up lagging ratings and recapture viewers. So far it hasn’t worked.
Rating have kept ‘GMA’ in the #1 spot consistently as a steady stream of ‘TODAY’ viewers continue to jump ship, having decided that Lauer is responsible for the Ann Curry debacle.
According to a new report Sunday in New York magazine, internal research showed Lauer — not Curry — was losing favor with viewers. A study by SmithGeiger revealed that Matt was perceived as less appealing than Curry because of his “aloof, a little bit holier-than-thou and pompous attitude.”
The fractured relationship between Curry and Lauer hasn’t improved since the veteran journalist departed at the end of June 2012. When Matt was asked why he hasn’t attempted to get her to let him off the hook publicly, he responded tersely, “Because I’m concentrating on doing the show — not concentrating on spinning the damage and trying to end the negativity on a daily basis.”
Lauer remains hopeful that the morning mainstay will regain its former #1 status, “I’m confident that the show we’re doing today is the one that will allow us to dig ourselves out of the hole.”
Ann Curry received a $12 million contract settlement and was giving a new assignment and her own production unit at NBC. She reports globally for the NBC Evening News.
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