NBC 'TODAY' Ratings Continue to Decline Despite Savanna Guthrie Switch and Firing Ann Curry
After replacing forming TODAY co-anchor Ann Curry with Savannah Guthrie in a bid to boost ratings, NBC executives may be feeling the hurt Curry displayed in her emotional final show.
Ratings for the former no.1 morning show continue to decline even after Curry's exit.
NBC's biggest rival, ABC's "Good Morning America" is expected to land the no.1 spot for the third week in a row, according to a report.
NBC execs may be reeling from the news after recently learning that the networks' ratings during the summer months have declined seven percent despite paying a hefty sum of $2.3 billion for exclusive rights to the 2012 London Games.
According to Nielsen figures, "TODAY" averaged 4.94 million total viewers in the 10 weeks before Curry's exit. Of that figure, 2.1 million of them made up the core audience in the 25-54 age category.
Less than three months after Curry's departure, viewership fell to 4.6 million total with 1.9 million in the core age group.
"GMA" beat "TODAY" by garnering 4.7 million viewers with almost 1.8 million in the 25-54 core audience group.
NBC played musical chairs and put Guthrie in Curry's old seat next to Matt Lauer when rival ABC bumped the Peacock network from the no.1 spot after a 16-year run. She exited tearfully on her last day as co-host on June 28.
Curry remained on her $10 million contract and later became "Today" anchor-at-large and an international and national correspondent for NBC News.
The exit reportedly left staffers so disappointed that one of them came forward to admit that it was a mistake for NBC to replace her with Guthrie.
Curry's former colleagues have also anonymously disclosed that Matt Lauer is "hated" by NBC executives and longtime staffers for having a hand in her departure.
Curry revealed in an interview prior to her exit from "TODAY" that her on-air wardrobe didn't always agree with the producers of the show in the August issue of Ladies Home Journal.
The 55-year-old disclosed in the cover story that she was often encouraged to wear high heels on-camera despite feeling uncomfortable.
"GMA" is likely to continue to dominate the morning show market. ABC is capitalizing on co-host Robin Roberts' temporary sick leave by scheduling some of the television's biggest stars to fill in for her.
Celebrities slated to serve as a guest stint on the hit morning show include Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Walters, Diane Sawyer, Katie Couric and Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert.
ABC is reportedly working on securing First Lady Michelle Obama and Ann Romney.
