Today Show Ratings Continue To Fall, Media Continues To Blame The Women

1:30 pm, July 27th | by Amy Tennery

In the wake of Ann Curry’s departure, the Today show continues to fall in the ratings behind Good Morning America. But while one could attribute this decline in viewers to several factors, some members of the media continue to blame women involved in the show.

First, let’s back up: As we’re all acutely aware, Ann Curry served as something of a scapegoat for NBC’s faltering morning news program in recent weeks, prior to her unceremonious departure from the program. And the narrative at the time was particularly brutal to Curry: Today was falling in the ratings and everyone decided it was all her fault. But as bad as her performance might have been, nothing compared to the PR maelstrom that accompanied her departure.

First, there were the leaks leading up to Curry’s removal from the show, making her firing all the more painful (and making NBC look all the more incompetent). Then came NBC News President Steve Capus’ utterly callous and boneheaded statement on her job performance:

“We gave her a year to prove herself, and ultimately we came to the conclusion that she had played at the highest level she could…When you’re in the major leagues of our profession, you’ve got to continue to be at peak performance in order to stay there.”

Condescending? Check. Snarky? You bet. A ridiculously cruel thing to say about a correspondent who’s still working at your network? Oh yea.

Even golden boy Matt Lauer’s image became tarnished through this utter muck up, as rumors of a feud between him and Curry swirled. Today started looking less like the shiny, happy people and more like the Hunger Games.

Which brings us to a story from the Daily Mail today: “Crushing Blow For Savannah Guthrie As Today Show Ratings Continue To Fall Behind GMA After Ann Curry’s Departure.” “Crushing blow” — to a woman who’s been on the job less than a month? One would think it takes more than a handful of weeks for a major morning program co-anchor to hit her stride, let alone single-handedly rekindle her show’s faltering ratings.

And then there’s this headline from the AP a few days ago: “Today Show Ratings: Ann Curry Exit: Did Savannah Guthrie Cause Good Morning America To Take Lead?”

This is not to say that Curry and Guthrie don’t deserve any blame; maybe it is their fault the show is tanking. It’s anyone’s guess. But with the narrative here once again targeting a Today woman, one can’t help but wonder why other cogs in the NBC machine aren’t attracting more scrutiny — or maybe it’s just easier to blame the chick.

TAGS: ann curry | savannah guthrie | today show

Anonymous

Maybe they should stop narrow casting. If all you target is liberal women, that’s the only audience you are going to get.
Moderate

The Oprah style show is so yesterday. It is time to find a new format.
Anonymous

Maybe they should blame the women who aren’t watching, lol. But seriously — remember the lambasting that Deborah Norville took when she stepped in ever-so-briefly for Jane Pauley? Seems like 1989 all over again.
Anonymous

Most friends I know have stopped watching because the Today Show/NBC news has lost all media credibility and is a biased product of opinion not news. NBC has had to apologize several times over the last 4-5 months for editing stories to slant opinion. This is not the female anchors fault but the changing media culture of NBC/MSNBC news. They are free to be as biased as they want, but maybe as they continue to loose viewers this year they may wake up to the true reason. The are so biased at NBC they make George Stephanapolis look very objective on GMA and he was the press secretary for President Clinton!
Anonymous

I hate to do an I told you so, but I put on this board several
times when all this was happening, that NBC, might just find
out that the viewers were leaving because they are,(were? tired of Matt Lauer.
I don’t really hate to say I told you so.
Anonymous

Bring back J. Fred Muggs, It’s their only hope.

Lauer can’t cut it and no one cares if a monkey has a liberal bias.
Anonymous

The answer is: we do not like Matt!!!
Anonymous

Matt Lauer is a huge part of their problem. He was young and hip at one time, but has now aged horribly and looks old enough to be Savannah Guthrie’s father. He doesn’t seem to have any amiability any more either. I think it’s time to put the spotlight on someone younger and start easing Lauer out – either off-camera, or to a program that requires a very mature look.
Anonymous

Or you could fire up your synapses…and realize that you liberal punks are few in number, most don’t reproduce, have no values, no lives, and are too self-absorbed to even watch the news…you are more into “Dancing Stars” and whores-r-us reality shows…

So until you get conservative…tank, you idiots, tank.
Anonymous

Two words sum up the ratings problem: Matt Lauer. He is a pompous fool.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_AKITPIF6R2ZGNOLEEW362DPOAE Yashewa

Their High ratings are vanishing because of youtube too. http://www.lynnaluvers.com/2012/06/vanishing-vids-pt3.html
jojo

GMA has all the morning shows beat. They bring the news and plenty of laughter takes away from the depressing news. The whole team is great even George fits right in.
Anonymous

Give it a rest…you don’t have to look at everything through a political lens.

There’s nothing political about cooking segments, dog shows, and Justin Bieber concerts.
Anonymous

“Where In The World Is Matt Lauer?” Hey NBC, the next time you do that gimmick, lose him so badly that even you can’t even find him! Ratings solved.
http://www.facebook.com/dot.dusman Dot Dusman

Ann Curry was the only “real” person on the show…the rest is all “teeth smiles” and no heart…viewers are smarter than they think…Ann Curry could show happiness,and sadness

compassion (for real)…not put on…Just maybe Matt Lauer is the all knowing, nothing to the show…He can read his questions and cross his legs and be the draw back…by the way, what is his salary? Way too much. Sorry I took so long
Ian Kable

That crap is all mind numbing.
Ian Kable

Really, Ann Curry was just as much a pile of duplicitous intellectual cowardice as Matt is.
Anonymous

I rarely watch the Today Show, or any other morning show, for that matter.

But, when I watched it, I did like Ann Curry. I think she was very professional, caring, gracious, and knowledgeable. Even though I don’t watch the Today Show often, I think it was a mistake to get rid of Ms. Curry. Other things should have happened to improve that show. And, to be honest, some time ago, I read that when Matt Lauer signed his contract earlier this year, there was speculation that he wanted Ann Curry to go. If true, that makes me like him less, and I’m even more inclined not to watch the show.
http://www.pinkpanthersblog.com/ cowboyneok

Why don’t they do an actual survey with American men? I can guarantee you most think Matt Lauer is a jerk and get nauseous watching him.
Anonymous

If Steve Capus had a clue about his viewers, for one, he would know that the overwhelming majority of them loved Ann Curry and for two, he would have known that of any female on The Today Show, the worst possible replacement would have been Savannah Guthrie. After 20 years of being an everyday viewer of The Today Show, with the merciless and cruel act of letting devoted Ann Curry go, I vowed not to watch that show again. I am now a GMA viewer and very happy with my choice!!!! I only wish Ann would move to ABC or CNN or somewhere else so that I could watch her wonderful reporting… And I wish that Mr. Capus would have to pay the ultimate price for such unchivalrous behavior… Perhaps it is he who is the problem…
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002957518094 Devon Waller

Wow, that’s a lot of hate there! Maybe someone should check you out. You sound SO CONSERATIVE that, usually that much hate ends up with a shooting MASACRE. The REASON the “yesterday” show was tanking was because of a SMUG, ARROGENT man that seemed to have NO feelings towards the little people (Matt). And EXCUSE ME but, those are traits usually found in CONSERVATIVES….
http://twitter.com/superbenA2002 Ben Arrowood

NBC News lost credibility with me when NBC News boss Steve Capus decided to use NBC News and MSNBC to market the Virginia Tech mass murderer back in 2007.
Anonymous

There is one huge reason I don’t and won’t watch Today Show….I can give it to you in two word…Matt Lauer….enough said. I agree totally with cowboyneok. Get rid of Lauer and I might watch again one day….
Anonymous

TODAY started out as a news program and was, for years, considered at the top of their field in reporting and presenting hard news. The personalities on the show were smart and serious news types, people the viewers believed were intelligent and would ask tough questions and get answers. We all saw how Jeff Zucker and his era of Couric changed the show, made it fluffier and more about celebrities and recipes. That trend continued and now the show is certainly no longer an important news program.

Ann Curry was much more the serious news type of reporter; she couldn’t fake her lack of interest in inane fashion and celebrity segments. So they fired her. It was really a compliment–she’s far too intelligent for what that show has become. One only has to watch the Kathie Lee and Hoda hour to see what they think is a good program.
http://profile.yahoo.com/3IO7CNRGZOQVFFQD6A4ZNY4R7Q Kristine

Golden Boy Matt Laurer must think that…….NBC = Now Blame Curry! Shame on NBC for the pathetic way they treated Ann. She was not the problem at all. They just made their rating problems worse!

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