As a longtime Today Show viewer, I am still in shock about the manner in which Ann Curry was recently let go as co-anchor. In terms of professionalism, I believe most would agree NBC handled the situation poorly.
There is no question that Ann Curry was not the most magnetic co-host to ever sit in the chair, but who is to say if the ratings slump the show was experiencing was entirely her fault. Regardless of whether or not she was the right person for the job, after 15 years on the show she deserved more of a respectable send-off.
On the June 28th show, they gave her a few minutes at the end of the 8:00 a.m. hour to say her goodbyes. It was painful to watch and no doubt humiliating for Curry. And that was it. No week long celebration, no montage of memorable interviews, no farewell messages from old colleagues.
Of course we all understand NBC has a responsibility to put the right people in place to achieve top ratings, and this is certainly not the first time this has happened (think Conan O’Brien). But the truth is, all this latest stunt has done is make me want to tune into Good Morning America.
Always a true professional, Ann handled herself with grace and class as she delivered her farewell remarks. And on a positive note, she does have a new role at NBC that will actually enable her to cover real news stories again.
At the end of the day, it will be very interesting to see how things shake out for NBC and whether or not Savannah Guthrie can help get the show back to it’s number one ranking, or if this ordeal will have the opposite effect. We shall wait and see.
What do you think? Was the situation was handled poorly, or did NBC do what it needed to do to get back to the number one spot?
I am disappointed at nbc; i will not watch today show. Ann Curry is a classy and beautiful women. As far Guthrie goes, she looks and acts like little lost kid. nbc really will see their rating fall. big mistake nbc
Agree completely. It was painfully obvious that Ann Curry was in the wrong role on the Today Show, that her talents weren’t being correctly leveraged for the network, the chemistry was off, and that the Matt-Savannah chemistry when Ann wasn’t on-set was perfect for a morning show. However, NBC blew the opportunity big time. It could have worked with Ann and her team to decide on how this would be handled, what would be communicated, and on a proper send-off for someone being shifted to a position that better suited her unique talents. NBC should have recognized how highly Ann is regarded by her fans, and designed a send-off that was a win-win. But win-wins are only possible when an organization steps back and considers, “What will work best for everyone?”