You just have to love the poetic justice of this. Last week, I wrote about the ratings slide over on the Today show, noting that the cause of it seems to be Matt Lauer, whose favorability ratings have dropped 25 percent since the Ann Curry ouster. Lauer is obviously taking a huge public-relations hit, and from what I understand, he forced executive producer Jim Bell to go out and accept responsibility for the firing of Ann Curry. Of course, this being the age of Twitter, rumors that Matt Lauer forced Jim Bell to take responsibility got more attention than Jim Bell actually taking responsibility.
Anyway, the Today show has come up with a very novel idea for slowing the ratings nosedive. They’ve decided to … drumroll … feature more Ann Curry! According to RADAR:
“Ann Curry reported for the TODAY show on Monday morning from the Syrian border, and she will be featured on a much more routine basis going forward for the TODAY show,” a show insider tells Radar. “Ann is truly doing what she loves the most now, reporting from war-torn countries and bringing viewers stories of people that are affected by the destruction in the region.
“Ann has been reporting for other NBC news programs as well. She certainly didn’t like getting sacked from being the co-host, but Ann is making the best of the situation and is a true professional. Fans of the TODAY show let the network know they missed seeing Ann and the plan going forward is to use her more. Hopefully that might bolster the show’s falling ratings.”
Can you imagine what Matt Lauer must be feeling? “You mean, this lady that I fought so hard to get rid of, whose firing has blown back on me, is going to be featured … more?”
It should at the very least make for very entertaining handoffs. “This is Ann Curry, reporting from the war-torn Syrian border. Now back to the climate controlled studio and Matt Lauer. How was your commute to work this morning, Matt? Did you have any shrapnel come your way? How many riots did you see outside of the studio window, Matt? How’s that pretty new co-host working out for you, Matt? Jump up my ass, Matt.
(Source: RADAR)
