Today Show

[TVNewsJunkie15 66]

52 minutes ago, MorningNews said:

Craig is not a great option next to Savannah but I almost want them to take a big swing at an outsider like they did with Meredith Vieira.

They lucked out by going outside NBC and getting Meredith, but there was no guarantee that that would work, but it did that time! Although, the show was in first place back then and had more to lose.  

Edited September 27, 2024 by TVNewsJunkie15

[MediaZone4K 2165]

6 hours ago, TVNewsJunkie15 said:

 

The old format you speak of is somewhat dated now. 

Not really. What they were doing by 2012 wasn't that old.Intro, anchors tease whats coming up, news anchor does top headlines, hosts introduce big cover stories of the day then talk about it with someone related. 

 

More hard news, smarter interviews. They dont have to do 90 stories in the 7 am half hour. I'm glad they scrapped the orange room.

 

I would love to see the either the 3rd or 4th hours scrapped (ideally both). That's  unlikely however because of limited syndication options.

1 hour ago, MorningNews said:

Craig is not a great option next to Savannah but I almost want them to take a big swing at an outsider like they did with Meredith Vieira.

In house talent ideas: Craig Melvin, Tom Llamas, Peter Alexander

 

Outside hire ideas: Anderson Cooper, Jeff Glor or Norah O'Donnell.  Dan Harris or Bill Weir (both were great on GMA).  Poach Nate Burleson from CBS maybe.

 

Too bad Ryan Seacrest took that wheel job. It seemed like NBC was grooming him for a Today position years ago.

Edited September 27, 2024 by MediaZone4K

[TVNewsLover 776]

I know she’s no longer at NBC, but I always thought it would’ve been a great idea to pair Chelsea Clinton with Jenna Bush Hager on the 4th hour.

[Junk Junk 5]

24 minutes ago, TVNewsLover said:

I know she’s no longer at NBC, but I always thought it would’ve been a great idea to pair Chelsea Clinton with Jenna Bush Hager on the 4th hour.

 

A pairing of former First Daughters. Intriguing…

[MorningNews 1441]

I meant to say Craig IS a great option next to Savannah. I think he’s incredibly formidable in the role but it would be nice to see them swing big on an outside candidate too.

[JTT 111]

I think they should promote Craig,  but maybe add someone new as well.  Tom Llamas would likely be the next choice.

 

If they're going to hire presidential daughters,  maybe give Malia Obama or Barbara Bush a try as well.

[mountainave 600]

Per Puck, Kotb was making more than $20 million a year and would have had to accept a pay cut had she stayed. 

[Reweivvt88 46]

I don't watch and have actually never watched the Today show besides some clips online, but I think it will be Craig Melvin. Today viewers already know him, and they probably don't have to pay him anything close to 20 million. It looks like the days of spending millions and millions on network anchors is coming to an end. It still disgusts me that Megyn Kelly was not only hired by NBC, but was also paid $69 million for a 3 year contract just to anchor the 9:00am hour. It's actually kind of funny Today spends so much on talent yet they have more problems with talent than any other show. They spend millions to get Ann Curry off the show in the middle of her contract, hire Billy Bush only for it to blow up in their face shortly after, replace the well liked Tamron Hall with the disaster known as Megyn Kelly at a way higher cost which also results in Tamron Hall jumping to ABC, pay millions to Matt Lauer until his awful actions become public, and that's just a few things I can think of off the top of my head. CBS various morning shows have had constant talent and format shakeups, but I doubt they spent anywhere close to what Today has on bad talent decisions. 

 

I think Tom Llamas has it in his contract that he will be the one to replace Lester Holt. It doesn't make sense for him to leave ABC News, which is higher rated than NBC News, just to host an online streaming show on NBC News Now, especially since he was already doing streaming news on ABC News Live which ranks higher than NBC News Now. It also doesn't make sense for NBC to spend the money to lure away a high profile highly paid ABC News anchor just for a streaming show. 

[Jase 1046]

On 9/26/2024 at 12:27 PM, News Fan said:

Tom Llamas could be an option. 

If I was him, I wouldn’t want to move. He has his own show that allows him to do whatever he wants. Why leave that to play second fiddle in the mornings? While I haven’t seen him and Savannah work together, they don’t seem like the best pair, imo.

 

Craig is the best option because he’s already there and a familiar face to viewers. Not sure there’s anyone outside of NBC they could find that would make an impact. 

[mountainave 600]

1 hour ago, Jase said:

If I was him, I wouldn’t want to move. He has his own show that allows him to do whatever he wants. Why leave that to play second fiddle in the mornings? While I haven’t seen him and Savannah work together, they don’t seem like the best pair, imo.

 

Craig is the best option because he’s already there and a familiar face to viewers. Not sure there’s anyone outside of NBC they could find that would make an impact. 

Because co-anchoring the most important show on the network would pay way, way more than hosting a show on the streaming service and elevate him one of the most important anchors at the network.  

 

In any case, expect to see a rotation of talent auditioning for the role.  It's one of, if not the, most important roles at the network given how much revenue TODAY generates for NBC, so it will be thoughtful and highly unlike to be someone from outside the NBC family. Familiarity to viewers is critical.

[JTT 111]

According to this article, it's probably either Craig Melvin or Laura Jarrett.  

 

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/savannah-guthrie-next-leave-today-175425284.html

[MediaZone4K 2165]

1 hour ago, JTT said:

According to this article, it's probably either Craig Melvin or Laura Jarrett.  

 

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/savannah-guthrie-next-leave-today-175425284.html

I had a feeling Laura would be in the mix as her profile has risen lately. 

 

The article suggests  Savannah could leave too! In that case, Craig and Laura would be solid as co anchors. I'm not sure they have big name recognition outside of regular NBC viewers but that's okay because they can built it.

 

If NBC wants a big outside hire however, I again recommend Anderson Cooper, Norah O'Donnell, Jeff Glor, Shepard Smith?...  or even Robin Meade (she would definitely fit on the 3rd/4th hrs).

 

In house: Peter Alexander, Tom Llamas

 

Random...Laura and Craig really resemble Bryant Gumbel and Soledad O'Brien, back to the chat lol.

Edited September 29, 2024 by MediaZone4K

[TheNewsTV 251]

 

2 hours ago, JTT said:

De acordo com este artigo, provavelmente é Craig Melvin ou Laura Jarrett.  

 

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/savannah-guthrie-next-leave-today-175425284.html

I figured Willie Geist might try something too, and Jeff Glor would be a perfect replacement for him on Sunday Today. I see Tom Llamas more as a replacement for Lester Holt than Hoda on NBC.

[24994J 5562]

4 hours ago, MediaZone4K said:

If NBC wants a big outside hire however, I again recommend Anderson Cooper, Norah O'Donnell, Jeff Glor, Shepard Smith?...  or even Robin Meade (she would definitely fit on the 3rd/4th hrs).

 

Duuuuuude.

[mrsunshine 17]

If we're talking about a fourth hour revamp as well...Robin Meade Today. Just kidding lol

[MediaZone4K 2165]

3 hours ago, 24994J said:

 

Duuuuuude.

29 minutes ago, mrsunshine said:

If we're talking about a fourth hour revamp as well...Robin Meade Today. Just kidding lol

Duuuuude I don't see anything wrong with any of those suggestions.

 

Robin Meade was a light news show host. The third hour is all positivity and the 4th hour is all fluff,  I don't think it's a stretch for Meade to host either.

 

You skipped over the posts suggesting Chelsea Clinton, Barbara Bush and Malia Obama but Robin Meade, an actual news anchor, is a stretch???

 

Furthermore, KLG and Hoda were half drunk on the fourth hour for years, so anything goes...

 

As for Norah and Jeff, both were great morning show hosts and are about to leave their respective positions, so why not? Sure, Shepard and Anderson are wild card names but NBC recruited Meredith Vieira from The View, so they've gone big and random before.

 

Edited September 30, 2024 by MediaZone4K

[24994J 5562]

When the CBS Evening News opens up every 3-6 years, it's always 'what about Anderson?' When there's an opening for a serious, veteran anchor at local or national, it's often 'what about Shepard?' When there's an opportunity for a morning show anchor, it's constantly 'what about Robin?'

 

From CBS, CNN, NewsNation, large market Fox stations, even to freaking Jeopardy!, you spend long enough around here, and seeing the same names listed over and over like they're waiting in line at an employment agency goes from eye roll-inducing to annoying to hilarious.

Edited September 30, 2024 by 24994J

[MediaZone4K 2165]

11 hours ago, 24994J said:

When the CBS Evening News opens up every 3-6 years, it's always 'what about Anderson?' When there's an opening for a serious, veteran anchor at local or national, it's often 'what about Shepard?' When there's an opportunity for a morning show anchor, it's constantly 'what about Robin?'

 

From CBS, CNN, NewsNation, large market Fox stations, even to freaking Jeopardy!, you spend long enough around here, and seeing the same names listed over and over like they're waiting in line at an employment agency goes from eye roll-inducing to annoying to hilarious.

Yes, it might be redundant if the same names are always in the mix. But, if we're talking about 'big name outside hires', whoever the well known current free agents are currently will constantly be mentioned.

 

As for Anderson, he's a qualified talent, so again, people are gonna keep mentioning him for big national openings. 

 

Again, some of the other outrageous suggestions here should cause more of an eye roll. 

Edited September 30, 2024 by MediaZone4K

[TVNewsJunkie15 66]

Willie Geist would be a good replacement and was once considered a possible successor to Matt Lauer, but he's doing well with his Sunday show, which he enjoys and is unlikely to give up. Anderson Cooper is more focused on hard news and might be better suited for a cable morning show like CNN or CBS rather than the lighter fare of TODAY or GMA. It's possible he could grow into it, similar to how George Stephanopoulos transitioned to a morning show. Some people were surprised when George was announced as Diane Sawyer's replacement, seeing as he worked in the White House and was a hard news guy. At first, he seemed uncomfortable with some of the lighter fares of GMA (of course, it is way now), but over time, he became more comfortable with it and loosened up a bit,  especially as Robin got sick. Bringing in Michael as the third news anchor might have been a way to balance out the lighter content with more serious news. Giving George a bit less fluff to deal with. 

 

When CBS decided to hire Charlie Rose to host its morning show, that was a deal breaker. There was no question that it would have to completely rebrand and remove 90% of the fluff, leaving most of the lighter stuff for Gayle King.   Charlie is way stiffer than George and Anderson and even more of a serious news person. 

 

 

[TVNewsJunkie15 66]

I will say that Broadcast Morning Shows (and even Broadcast Network Evening News shows!) are going through a bit of a crisis. I know people will say they have gotten too fluff or diagonal, and there is truth to that. Still, I feel they have not learned to adapt to modern technology, 24/7 cable news, and social media, and  I suppose they never will be able to unless they fix their content and become more unbiased in the news, even doing all that may not help much. CBS did that a decade ago, and while it dramatically improved, it did not help much. Its ratings reached a peak of 3.7 million but were still stuck in 3rd, and they flushed that all down the toilet after they fired Charlie and Norah and moved to the Evening News show.  

 

I suppose another issue I just thought of is that there are too many commercials too! 

 

The Big Network Morning Shows are becoming more irrelevant, and the Evening News shows don't seem far behind. They don't get the ratings they once did and make the money they used to, and so Networks really can't afford to pay big names to host them like they were once able to (unless that person is willing to do it for less money than their previous job)  or give the ones already there a big raise unless they lay people off.  These anchors are even taking pay cuts to prevent layoffs of lower-ranking staff members.  We will likely hear about Lester, Savannah, George, Robin, and David taking pay cuts in the future.

 

I imagine the Evening News shows will always be there until the end of time or television, but will the TODAY Show see its 100th anniversary or GMA?  

Edited September 30, 2024 by TVNewsJunkie15

[gbsgeo 25]

On 9/29/2024 at 1:03 PM, JTT said:

According to this article, it's probably either Craig Melvin or Laura Jarrett.  

 

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/savannah-guthrie-next-leave-today-175425284.html

If in the future they decide to go with Laura, I would be okay with it. But I think a better pairing would be Craig and Sheinelle. Both already have chemistry working together on the 3rd Hour, and they have anchored Today together on Saturday mornings. Plus when Al eventually retires (if that happens), Dylan would get his place, making it a simple shift and nothing too complex for viewers.

[TVNewsJunkie15 66]

28 minutes ago, gbsgeo said:

If in the future they decide to go with Laura, I would be okay with it. But I think a better pairing would be Craig and Sheinelle. Both already have chemistry working together on the 3rd Hour, and they have anchored Today together on Saturday mornings. Plus when Al eventually retires (if that happens), Dylan would get his place, making it a simple shift and nothing too complex for viewers.

 I wonder how much longer Al will be there. Savannah will likely be there for at least a few more years. I would not be surprised if she eventually moves to Nightly News when Lester retires. Or maybe she goes back to cable. That is where everyone wants to be, it seems or becomes an independent journalist or a news site like Yahoo.    

Edited September 30, 2024 by TVNewsJunkie15

[MediaZone4K 2165]

1 hour ago, TVNewsJunkie15 said:

 I wonder how much longer Al will be there. Savannah will likely be there for at least a few more years. I would not be surprised if she eventually moves to Nightly News when Lester retires. Or maybe she goes back to cable. That is where everyone wants to be, it seems or becomes an independent journalist or a news site like Yahoo.    

Al is an institution like Willard Scott. I hope he stays forever. 

 

It seems like appears both Savannah and Tom Llamas are being groomed for the role. 

2 hours ago, TVNewsJunkie15 said:

When CBS decided to hire Charlie Rose to host its morning show, that was a deal breaker. There was no question that it would have to completely rebrand and remove 90% of the fluff, leaving most of the lighter stuff for Gayle King.   Charlie is way stiffer than George and Anderson and even more of a serious news person. 

 

 

I'd say Charlie was way more loose than George as evidenced by his Rita Moreno birthday segment. Anyway, back to NBC before the moderators come lol. 

[TVNewsLover 776]

2 hours ago, TVNewsJunkie15 said:

Willie Geist would be a good replacement and was once considered a possible successor to Matt Lauer, but he's doing well with his Sunday show, which he enjoys and is unlikely to give up. Anderson Cooper is more focused on hard news and might be better suited for a cable morning show like CNN or CBS rather than the lighter fare of TODAY or GMA. It's possible he could grow into it, similar to how George Stephanopoulos transitioned to a morning show. Some people were surprised when George was announced as Diane Sawyer's replacement, seeing as he worked in the White House and was a hard news guy. At first, he seemed uncomfortable with some of the lighter fares of GMA (of course, it is way now), but over time, he became more comfortable with it and loosened up a bit,  especially as Robin got sick. Bringing in Michael as the third news anchor might have been a way to balance out the lighter content with more serious news. Giving George a bit less fluff to deal with. 

 

When CBS decided to hire Charlie Rose to host its morning show, that was a deal breaker. There was no question that it would have to completely rebrand and remove 90% of the fluff, leaving most of the lighter stuff for Gayle King.   Charlie is way stiffer than George and Anderson and even more of a serious news person. 

 

 

Anderson would have no problem handling lighter fare. He has filled in numerous times on Live with Kelly and Mark/Ryan, and he also hosts CNN New Year’s Eve coverage with Andy Cohen. If you’ve seen either of these programs, most or all of these programs tend to be lighter fair. 

[TVNewsJunkie15 66]

11 minutes ago, TVNewsLover said:

Anderson would have no problem handling lighter fare. He has filled in numerous times on Live with Kelly and Mark/Ryan, and he also hosts CNN New Year’s Eve coverage with Andy Cohen. If you’ve seen either of these programs, most or all of these programs tend to be lighter fair. 

Ah, yes. You are right. I had forgotten about that, as I hadn't watched the show in a long time. He has guest-hosted on LIVE many times, so he is probably fine with a lot of it.