Ann Curry’s exited co-anchor’s chair was occupied this morning by Savannah Guthrie, following the Today veteran’s sudden ouster yesterday.
However, there has been no official announcement by NBC, on or off air, that Guthrie will be the permanent replacement for Curry.
The show opened up this morning, by omitting the usual announcement of the programs hosts. Other than that, there was a business-as-usual atmosphere, with Guthrie introducing the day’s headlines and hot topics following a brief banter with Matt Laurer. There was no explicit acknowledgement of Curry’s departure nor whether Guthrie would be promoted as the new co-host alongside Lauer.
Yesterday was Curry’s final day on the show, where she bid farewell after 15 years of working in various positions on the show. She wept as she apologized to viewers, saying ‘I’m so sorry I couldn’t carry the ball over the finish line.”
NBC has received a lot of criticism for the way they publicly handled the firing of Curry. A New York Daily News author wrote:
“Does someone at NBC think that publicly hanging a respected 15-year veteran journalist out to dry makes for good television? It sure didn’t on Thursday, when Ann Curry’s farewell as co-host of The Today Show made for television that was downright painful….”
Although official word about Guthrie replacing Curry has yet to be released by NBC, it is expected that the network will make an announcement soon because they are determined to have the Today team in place for the London Olympics. The network will be airing the Opening Ceremonies on July 27th.
