Ann Curry — Ann Curry is still the co-host of NBC's "Today" show, but belief
continues to arise over who will be sitting in her ballast bench in the
not too abroad future.
So what's next for the arrangement and for the 55-year-old account vet?
News that
Ann Curry's canicule were numbered on her "dream job" bankrupt
Wednesday. A New York Times address alike that abstruse affairs had been
demography abode amid NBC and her advocate to advance her into a
altered role just over a year afterwards she replaced approachable
Meredith Vieira as co-host
Ann Curry, it seems, is demography the hit for the ratings accelerate
that saw the already angry morning affairs lose the amount 1 atom in the
ratings to ABC's "Good Morning America" for several weeks.
"The 'Today' appearance has been on top for a long, continued time and
its absolutely getting threatened and 'GMA' has overtaken it a few times
recently, you attending at variables that accept changed, and the a lot
of accessible is cohost," says Robert Thompson, the founding
administrator of Syracuse University's Bleier Center for Television and
Popular Culture.
For
Ann Curry, abiding to her antecedent position as a account clairvoyant
on the appearance -- a job she captivated aback she abutting the
appearance in 1997 until endure year - wouldn't be a footfall aback for
her career, says Bill Carroll, VP administrator of programming for the
Katz Television Group.
"Her role in the account analysis will apparently be agnate to what it
was afore on 'Today' - appropriate reports, a appropriate contributor
title," he says. "That's absolutely apparent that that's traveling to
happen. They'll be arena to their strengths. Her acreage advertisement
has consistently been excellent, that's the breadth area they can best
use her talents.
"If you're accomplishing harder reporting, and you're acceptable at it
is that affective backwards? Not anybody wants to do a affable
articulation or account Tom Cruise for the 15th time."
Regardless of what position she ends up with, she will end up with a
nice banking beanbag to affluence the fall. NBC active her to a three
year deal, account $10 actor annually if she took the co-anchor column
in 2011, TMZ reported.
As for the network, with the behind-the-scenes soap opera now out in the
public, there is burden to acquisition an on-air accomplice for Matt
Lauer - and soon. With the arrangement broadcasting the London Olympics
this summer, there will not be a bigger high-profile date to appearance
off a new co-host.
It's a accommodation that NBC can not allow to get wrong.
Experts say there are three paths the arrangement can yield in award
Ann Curry's replacement, bold NBC will stick to the accurate one macho host,
one changeable host formula.:
* Select from in-house.
Bringing aback Vieira would be the safest choice, but sources abutting
to the Dateline NBC contributor told TMZ that she wouldn't accede a
acknowledgment to "Today" full-time.
That would leave Savannah Guthrie, who fills in for
Ann Curry on "Today" already, as the odds-on favorite.
Another centralized applicant is Natalie Morales, who replaced
Ann Curry as newsreader.
"Each of them has apparent their adequacy in getting able to ample in if
someone's not there," says Carroll. "In essence, the arrangement has
already done a analysis drive, so they already apperceive what's there."
* Signing a big name to accomplish a splash.
Imagine the account of apparently signing a celebrity like Maria
Menounos, who's already in the NBC ancestors and a domiciliary name from
"Dancing With the Stars."
CNN’s Brooke Baldwin isn’t a huge name - yet - but does accept a acceptable ambit of ability of both account and pop culture.
"You could assurance a rockstar, anyone who will get lots and lots of
absorption to watch the aboriginal episode," says Thompson. "But if
Katie Couric and Matt Lauer aboriginal started on the 'Today' show,
neither of them were rockstars.
"The next bequest host of that authorization could actual acceptable be anyone we've never heard of."
* Take a adventitious on an unknown.
Right now, it's a acceptable bet that NBC is searching at footage of
every ballast in every arrangement associate to see if there is
beginning aptitude accessible for a civic stage.
Before Couric jumped to "Today," she was a anchorman for WTVJ in Miami.
"This is showbiz, not science, it's abracadabra not chemistry," says
Thompson. "If there were a appropriate answer, every appearance would be
a hit."
