It's understandable that Matt wouldn't be invited to the 70th Anniversary celebration should it occur, but he was on the show for 23 years it makes no sense to act like he never existed. They shouldn't cut him out of flashbacks as he was involved in momentous coverage like 9/11, Bin Laden's death, and the 2000 election. The same goes for Ann Curry and Deborah Norville. Perhaps they could briefly acknowledge him to get it out of the way so his lack of a presence there doesn't overshadow everything.
I like the election set up. I wish they'd include more of a tangible physical set, rather than a mostly barren studio with a video wall. I like video walls, they're flexible and cost effective. On the other hand, a good physical set goes a long way. Today had a lot of good sets pre 2013. I don't think there was a bad one anywhere from the late 70s Brokaw/Pauley era set, to the early 90s wooden set. Studio 1A looked especially good from it's mid 90s debut up until they redesigned it somewhere around 2003. The redesign from Meredith's arrival to 2013 was a good comeback.