-By Warner Todd Huston
As we reported in September, long-time morning host Matt Lauer has seemingly worn out his welcome at NBC’s Today show. TV insiders are saying the $21.5 million-a-year Lauer is soon to be fired.
We noted last September that Lauer’s “Q Score,” an industry popularity rating, had collapsed after NBC’s mishandling of former Today co-host Ann Curry’s firing. Lauer’s off camera treatment of the woman was perceived by many to be one of the reasons Curry was dumped only a year after she took on co-host duties of the once most popular morning show.
One Today insider reportedly said that “Matt is finally getting what he deserves!”
“His years-long feuds with former co-hosts Katie Couric, Meredith Vieira and Ann Curry have taken their toll. Everyone has turned against him and Matt is going to be ousted because he’s being blamed for the show’s collapse.”
Curry’s replacement, Savannah Guthrie, debuted to some of Today’s lowest ratings, and Lauer is rumored as a difficult coworker for everyone involved in the show.
The show’s ratings have, indeed, been falling, good news for ABC’s Good Morning America which has soared into first place and continues its strong showing.
NBC has tried other alterations to Today in the hopes of reviving its ratings slump. Recently, the morning show added former MSNBC commentator Willie Geist to the shows 9AM hour.
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“The only end of writing is to enable the reader better to enjoy life, or better to endure it.”
–Samuel Johnson
Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer. He has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and before that he wrote articles on U.S. history for several small American magazines. His political columns are featured on many websites such as Andrew Breitbart’s BigGovernment.com, BigHollywood.com, and BigJournalism.com, as well as RightWingNews.com, RightPundits.com, CanadaFreePress.com, StoptheACLU.com, AmericanDaily.com, among many, many others. Mr. Huston is also endlessly amused that one of his articles formed the basis of an article in Germany’s Der Spiegel Magazine in 2008.
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