The old ratings-winning gang at 'Today,' from left: Al Roker, Meredith Vieira, Matt Lauer and Ann Curry. Photo credit: Brendan McDermid/Reuters
“Matt is being blamed for the fact that ‘Good Morning America’ has surpassed the ‘Today’ show,” Walters said Thursday on “The View.” “A lot of people say, well, people are angry with him because he was given $25 million [a year].”
Actually, Lauer has earned that salary after 20 years at “Today.” He has had an incredibly successful run at “Today,” a show that produced nearly $500 million in revenue in just 2011, the Times noted.
Any stumble at such a lucrative program is big news, even front-page news.
Walters said Lauer shouldn’t be blamed for all the problems at “Today.” And he shouldn’t.
But “Today” often feels tired next to the energetic ”Good Morning America.” If you prefer your morning news less bubbly, the folks at “CBS This Morning” are working hard and having fun. And there are all the cable alternatives.
Watching “Today” used to be an involving routine. Now it often now it feels like a chore. That “Professionals” segment can be highly annoying. ”Today” too often indulges in stunts, such as having Gerard Butler stick around, put on a blindfold and sample pies. The “Today” promotional machine for movies and TV grows tiresome. The Ann Curry-to-Savannah Guthrie transition was handled badly. And NBC News boss Steve Capus put too much pressure on Lauer by describing the long-serving anchor as the franchise.
Of course, Lauer never has been that, even if has been a co-anchor since 1997 (he was news anchor starting in 1994). He had strong partners in Katie Couric and Meredith Vieira, yet he hasn’t been a similarly strong partner to Curry and Guthrie. Curry had to be the fall gal for the declining ratings. But Lauer remains.
Yet things don’t look dire. NBC has the logical successor to Lauer right there in Willie Geist. He is warm, natural and funny like the Lauer of years ago, when that “Where in the World Is Matt Lauer?” segment could get people talking. These days, I fear, too many people want him to get lost.