Can anyone save the Today show?

[yortsed snacilbuper]

That's the multi-million dollar question facing NBC

In recent months, NBC's Today show — long touted as "America's First Family" — has been exposed, for better or worse, as America's First Dysfunctional Family. And as rumors of teasing, tension, and backstabbing behind the scenes have surfaced, the show has ceded its 18-year run as America's number one morning show.

link

[TwilightGardener]

1. I liked Matt and Katie. Back when I used to watch TV more. Now it doesn't occur to me

to put the TV on during the day. But yeah, Matt and Katie were a good and likeable team. What was that, a decade ago? Maybe network women-geared morning shows are just on their way out, format-wise--I don't care about cute party favors for Halloween, diseases of the week, and human interest stories involving interviews with shy children who saved up all their nickels to give to Haiti or a sick classmate or whatever. I just like news and analysis.

[longship]

2. They've been at it for decades.

Dave Garroway and J. Fred Muggs:


Read about it: J. Fred Muggs

1954 Today Show!

[swayne]

3. Willie Geist, Alex Wagner, Jonathan Capeheart and Soledad O'Brien.....

[erpowers]

5. Willie Geist, Tamron Hall, Al Rocker, and Natalie Morales

Tamron Hall and Willie Geist seem to get along well and seem to really like each other. Currently, Geist, Rocker, and Morales host the lighter 10et hour, but they all have the ability to do hard news. Hall guest host the 10et hour when one of the regulars is out and she does a 2et news show on MSNBC. It seems Geist, Hall, Rocker, and Morales could get along while putting on a good news show.

[LiberalEsto]

4. Bring back Jane Pauley

and give Matt the boot.

[unrepentant progress]

8. Gods, yes!

I'd give my eye teeth to see a morning show produced like this again.

Hey! It's the NPR sound, but more intelligent, and minus the AEI stooge!

[yurbud]

9. that was the last time I liked the show. after she left, it just seemed plastic

[CTyankee]

15. My husband got so mad that he insisted on giving up Today for GMA and we watched that

for years. He really LOVED Jane Pauley. He took it personally when they gave her job to Norville.

I watch only the bits and pieces of Morning Joe that include interesting guests. I mute Joe's rants. My husband still watches some of GMA. I can't stand it.

[yurbud]

16. Pauley seemed like a smart, easy-going reporter. Norville seemed like

a spokesmodel.

[CTyankee]

17. She was great. It was the beginning of the end of anything serious on morning TV.

Good thing she had Garry trudeau as a husband. She didn't have to face lack of income from a job taken away from her through no fault of her own. And she had 3 kids!

It was a sad day.

[Kablooie]

13. Calling Deborah Norville. Come out come out where ever you are!

[Cobalt-60]

6. I'm afraid not

More than ten years of sucking republican d*ck is fatal.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

7. Reads like Ann Curry got stabbed in the back.

[66 dmhlt]

10. Matt Lauer is a philanderer & always promotes Repubican Talking Points

[d_r]

11. The NY Times story *is* epic

I'm not really that interested in the whole thing, but I still found it fascinating somehow-
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/21/magazine/who-can-save-the-today-show.html?pagewanted=1&_r=4&hp&

[Carolina]

12. No, TODAY deserves

to die!

I stopped watching during the 2000 election. When the DUI news about both lil' Bush and Dick came to fore late in the cycle, I will never forget NBC and TODAY focusing on the source of information and its timing rather than the information itself. WTF

It was true, it was verifiable, but that tool Matt Lauer (per his NBC masters like then owner, also GE CEO and Bushbot Jack Welch) was only interested in identifying the source, and learning if the expose was some Democratic ploy.

As if it wasn't already clear that the media was in the bag for Bush by the constant attacks on Al Gore's lies, clothes whatever, that was the straw for me. I turned off AM TV, especially TODAY which I really used as background for weather and traffic while I got dressed for work.

I loathe Matt, hate how TODAY treated Ann Curry, and prefer DU for news!

[ThomThom]

14. yes say good-bye

TV is in the tank in general, it is pretty much a wasteland.

[Myrina]

18. Bring back early morning cartoons!

n/t

[Throckmorton]

20. And How N/T

[geek tragedy]

19. A.J. Clemente. nt