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.
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."
