A3N 996 Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 Hard to imagine anyone willing to walk away from the HUGE salary Matt is getting at NBC. Unless he's getting his own talk show, or another job where he's going to be paid more than what he is making right now, I just don't see him walking away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eat News 4738 Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Hard to imagine anyone willing to walk away from the HUGE salary Matt is getting at NBC. Unless he's getting his own talk show, or another job where he's going to be paid more than what he is making right now, I just don't see him walking away. I really thought the networks were trying to put the mega salary days in the past. A Matt Laure talk show???? That's just for me a painful thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5269 Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 As a #throwbackthursday #tbt, I found a clip of what seems to be one of the first of many times Matt filled in for Bryant back in April 1993. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLhJIoN8Sho An hour and 23 minutes in, if anyone was wondering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A3N 996 Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 I really thought the networks were trying to put the mega salary days in the past. A Matt Laure talk show???? That's just for me a painful thought. I'm sure they are. However, everyone else at Today are probably making peanuts compared to Lauer. And for those that like him or hate him, for better or worse, he is the face of Today... right now. I can't imagine they'll let him walk away with the way things are going between Today and GMA. In this case, it's money well spent, for NBC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Red 104 Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Not surprise about Erica. I predicted Willie would join Weekend TODAY Show last year when Brian was let go at Nightly News and Lester got that Job. Erica is just not strong enough to be lead anchor. There is now a story out there that Matt is leaning towards not renewing his contract at the end of the year: http://www.showbiz411.com/2016/03/02/today-show-insiders-matt-lauer-likely-to-leave-when-contract-is-up-this-year Just in time for the Inauguration don't you say? It perfect opportunity to introduce a New Team. Willie has been filling in for Matt in recent weeks more then Carson so i could be he will be hosting Weekend TODAY until January. But then what happens after that with Weekend TODAY? I don't know if Willie Geist will be a ratings a draw, I think this weekend thing will be a good trial for him but at best he can be a good back up. I heard four months ago according to some media magazine that Today show is interested in hiring Billy Bush from Access Hollywood to the Today show. They want the Today show to go into a more entertainment driven format and Billy Bush was one of those chosen as prospective host. If Willie becomes the new host, I suspect he will keep his Sunday job nowadays, weekday anchors are working weekends now due to budget reasons. Look at Chuck Todd who is working six days a week. Today show has enough people where they don't need the show to revolved around one person once Matt is gone. I suspect that once Matt is gone, the Today show will revolve more around the team aspect then just two anchors. If Willie does not work on Sundays with new host job then they can probably cancel Weekend Today and build a new morning show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Red 104 Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 I'm sure they are. However, everyone else at Today are probably making peanuts compared to Lauer. And for those that like him or hate him, for better or worse, he is the face of Today... right now. I can't imagine they'll let him walk away with the way things are going between Today and GMA. In this case, it's money well spent, for NBC. This is Lauer's angle, he did this back when Ann Curry was on the Today show, this was how he got $25 million dollars. He is going to use the increase in ratings as a way to convince executives probably that if they want him to stay, they will have to give him more money. When Curry was there he convinced executives to choose between him and Curry, they choose him and scapegoated Ann Curry. I think Matt Lauer is not as key a player anymore on NBC as NBC likes to make him think he is, they have an in-depth talent pool and with Lester Holt's recent appointment at Nightly News, the news division seems to be in good shape . Lester's NN high ratings sends a ripple effect to Today show's ratings. Keep in mind Holt used to be on the Today show so some of those Nightly News viewers are probably carrying over to the Today show. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianpr3 173 Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 supposedly whats this i heard that Matt Lauer as in his contract that NBC pays for a helicopter service for him to commute from the Hamptons? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24994J 5269 Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 supposedly whats this i heard that Matt Lauer as in his contract that NBC pays for a helicopter service for him to commute from the Hamptons? Maybe in emergencies. I could believe that. One would think that if he's in the Hamptons, he's probably off (and Lord, does he have a lot of time off) and is not to be bothered unless absolutely necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkolsen 1675 Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 Maybe in emergencies. I could believe that. One would think that if he's in the Hamptons, he's probably off (and Lord, does he have a lot of time off) and is not to be bothered unless absolutely necessary. I've noticed that lately his time off has actually been for interviews. Say he's off three days one week and the next week he has an interview. His most recent absence (about two weeks ago) was due to the flu. I'm sure they are. However, everyone else at Today are probably making peanuts compared to Lauer. And for those that like him or hate him, for better or worse, he is the face of Today... right now. I can't imagine they'll let him walk away with the way things are going between Today and GMA. In this case, it's money well spent, for NBC. Supposedly he's making $25 million and Savannah's at $12 million with the others about half as much. I think Parade magazine put Robin Roberts salary at $6-8 million. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Red 104 Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 I've noticed that lately his time off has actually been for interviews. Say he's off three days one week and the next week he has an interview. His most recent absence (about two weeks ago) was due to the flu. Supposedly he's making $25 million and Savannah's at $12 million with the others about half as much. I think Parade magazine put Robin Roberts salary at $6-8 million. Savannah at $12 million, nah with the limited amount of years she has been there, she does not have name recognition like Robin Roberts to be making that kind of money. Networks have been trying to cut on news anchor salaries. She has to be making $3 million dollars easily at the maximum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drew 147 Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 has nbc announced Willie Subday anchor yet? I've seen all the reports like it has but nothing from the network. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USNewsie 49 Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 Changes could be coming soon to Today's Take. http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/today-nbc-changes-willie-geist-natalie-morales-tamron-hall-al-roker-1201731220/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Red 104 Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 Changes could be coming soon to Today's Take. http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/today-nbc-changes-willie-geist-natalie-morales-tamron-hall-al-roker-1201731220/ The 3rd hour of the Today show is no different from the first 2 hours. Today show wants so go a more infotainment format that has been their desire since they were mulling about Lauer's contract back in 2014. They only kept the current format cause it suits his strengths which is more about interviewing. Willie Geist does not have the broad appeal to become a Today show host, he is a solid anchor but not broad enough appeal and wooden personality. A Morning Joe format might be good for him if were to become the host. Their real intention is to get either Ryan Seacrest or Billy Bush to take over Matt's spot. I am thinking Ryan Seacrest. Matt Lauer's contract will end this year, and American Idol will end this year. This will give him the perfect timing transition into the new role if he were to be picked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TVNewsLover 727 Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 The 3rd hour of the Today show is no different from the first 2 hours. Today show wants so go a more infotainment format that has been their desire since they were mulling about Lauer's contract back in 2014. They only kept the current format cause it suits his strengths which is more about interviewing. Willie Geist does not have the broad appeal to become a Today show host, he is a solid anchor but not broad enough appeal and wooden personality. A Morning Joe format might be good for him if were to become the host. Their real intention is to get either Ryan Seacrest or Billy Bush to take over Matt's spot. I am thinking Ryan Seacrest. Matt Lauer's contract will end this year, and American Idol will end this year. This will give him the perfect timing transition into the new role if he were to be picked. If Ryan Seacrest or Billy Bush are taking over for Matt, you can kiss the ratings goodbye. Neither has any serious news chops to handle that role, not even a little. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoseRM303 169 Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 If Ryan Seacrest or Billy Bush are taking over for Matt, you can kiss the ratings goodbye. Neither has any serious news chops to handle that role, not even a little. Couldn't agree more Ryan or Billy are more suited towards a light hearted hour of today (9 am) while Willie would be more the one to take on the 7-9am hour (this is assuming Matt doesn't renew his contract which he can do if he wishes) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Red 104 Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 Couldn't agree more Ryan or Billy are more suited towards a light hearted hour of today (9 am) while Willie would be more the one to take on the 7-9am hour (this is assuming Matt doesn't renew his contract which he can do if he wishes) If Ryan Seacrest or Billy Bush are taking over for Matt, you can kiss the ratings goodbye. Neither has any serious news chops to handle that role, not even a little. Credibility for being a morning show host has gone down the drain. It does not mean much anymore to become a host of the morning show. They got Carson Daly who promoted music videos as his claim to fame and now he is reporting news about heads of state. Lauer has not been high standard either, compared to Bryant Gumbel he is a lightweight. This has been the same discussion people were having back in 2013 when people assumed that Matt Lauer is not going renew his contract. There have constant back and forths on who can take his spot. People thought Willie Geist would be the logical choice but his wooden personality mighty not work. Today believes that bigger name might mean bigger ratings. Their main focus is go back to being a more infotainment show, their main focus is to compete with GMA. This was their main picks outside of NBC Anderson Cooper- I doubt that he would want to be tied to those crazy hours and he is a staple at CNN and contributes to 60 Minutes. Josh Elliot-- they pulled him from ABC with promises that he could do the Today show but all fell to the waste side Don Lemon-- He would make sense and he has the personality to do the entertainment part of the show. David Gregory--highly doubt NBC would want him back but was well liked by viewers anytime he would fill in. Ryan Seacrest-- NBC showed interest and he is part of the NBC Universal family, and his contract with American Idol is going to expire . His name recognition makes him alluring for NBC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TVNewsJunkie15 56 Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Credibility for being a morning show host has gone down the drain. It does not mean much anymore to become a host of the morning show. They got Carson Daly who promoted music videos as his claim to fame and now he is reporting news about heads of state. Lauer has not been high standard either, compared to Bryant Gumbel he is a lightweight. This has been the same discussion people were having back in 2013 when people assumed that Matt Lauer is not going renew his contract. There have constant back and forths on who can take his spot. People thought Willie Geist would be the logical choice but his wooden personality mighty not work. Today believes that bigger name might mean bigger ratings. Their main focus is go back to being a more infotainment show, their main focus is to compete with GMA. This was their main picks outside of NBC Anderson Cooper- I doubt that he would want to be tied to those crazy hours and he is a staple at CNN and contributes to 60 Minutes. Josh Elliot-- they pulled him from ABC with promises that he could do the Today show but all fell to the waste side Don Lemon-- He would make sense and he has the personality to do the entertainment part of the show. David Gregory--highly doubt NBC would want him back but was well liked by viewers anytime he would fill in. Ryan Seacrest-- NBC showed interest and he is part of the NBC Universal family, and his contract with American Idol is going to expire . His name recognition makes him alluring for NBC. Very Interesting. The only (In my opinion) real qualified person at NBC/MSNBC who can take over for Matt right now is Willie. David Gregory would have been a good choice at one time and for awhile there he was the forerunner to take over for Matt. He work very well with Ann Curry and Meredith Vieira. If NBC had only known what would happen 6 Months after they let Gregory go I tihnk they would have kept him in a Contract (sort of like what they did with Ann) longer. Josh Elliott just left for CBS. It really too bad they could not have find anything for him to really to do. originally he was brought as a as a Correspondent for NBC Sports and was prepared to go to Rio for the Olympics (in fact one of his biggest dreams was to cover the Olympics and is why he went to NBC when he got the chance) and so until then he did Sports stuff then and now but was not getting any major Screen Time or Sports events and so he faded slowly. At the time in April 2014 It was widely speculated that he was in the running to take over for Matt whenever he decided to leave. Over time he began to do Sports Stories for TODAY Show which by Late Summer 2014 then become about once a week. Then Jamie Horowitz became SVP and Josh began filling in for Natalie that September. Then in October Jamie hatched a plan to fire everyone on the show except for Matt and Hoda. He was gonna replace Savannah with Hoda and Natalie with Josh. He was going to add Samantha Ponder and Brooke Anderson to the show. he planned to replace Matt with Josh within 2 Years. Horowitz in his short 2 1/2 Months (and he was not even set to begin officially until December!) caused a lot of problems, chaos, mayhem, drama, back fighting, infighting, feuds and resentment behind the scenes. He then began to leak false stories (And other Stories to of the impending plan) to the press and pitted Anchors and Producer against each other. As one person describe it: "He walk in and threw a bomb and blew up the place". The morale during that time was very low. He would throw Producers and Anchors under the bus when they were not around. It was a extremely toxic environment He is responsible for the feuding between Natalie and Tamron. Soon in November Savannah, Willie and Natalie all hearing about their possible demotion went to Matt (who a couple weeks earlier told Burke he was covered about Horowitz) voicing Concerns and about what he was planning. Matt then went to Deborah Turness who then (among a Anchor revolt) put the kibosh on the plan and fired Jamie Horowitz. There went out the window the possibly of Josh taking over for Matt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkolsen 1675 Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 So Matt Lauer inadvertently gave out Savannah's email address. He thought that type of thing was public knowledge because he got emails from viewers and jokingly gave out here. I was a bit surprised that her (and other higher profile journalists) work related email didn't vary from the standard template of [email protected]. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TVNewsJunkie15 56 Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 So Matt Lauer inadvertently gave out Savannah's email address. He thought that type of thing was public knowledge because he got emails from viewers and jokingly gave out here. I was a bit surprised that her (and other higher profile journalists) work related email didn't vary from the standard template of [email protected]. I got the feeling it was Savannah Private Non-work Email Address Matt accidentally gave out not her NBC Email Address which is public pretty much and is the Professional Email Address everyone who work at NBC has. I sent Al a Email once several years ago (using the NBC one) and got a reply back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TVNewsJunkie15 56 Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 New Sunday TODAY Show with Willie to Launch on April 17th: http://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/willie-geists-sunday-today-show-launches-april-17/289049 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TVNewsJunkie15 56 Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 TODAY Show won last week in both Total Viewers and Demo for first time since June 2012: http://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/after-4-years-in-2nd-place-nbcs-today-show-retakes-the-morning-show-lead/289051 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Red 104 Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 Very Interesting. The only (In my opinion) real qualified person at NBC/MSNBC who can take over for Matt right now is Willie. David Gregory would have been a good choice at one time and for awhile there he was the forerunner to take over for Matt. He work very well with Ann Curry and Meredith Vieira. If NBC had only known what would happen 6 Months after they let Gregory go I tihnk they would have kept him in a Contract (sort of like what they did with Ann) longer. Josh Elliott just left for CBS. It really too bad they could not have find anything for him to really to do. originally he was brought as a as a Correspondent for NBC Sports and was prepared to go to Rio for the Olympics (in fact one of his biggest dreams was to cover the Olympics and is why he went to NBC when he got the chance) and so until then he did Sports stuff then and now but was not getting any major Screen Time or Sports events and so he faded slowly. At the time in April 2014 It was widely speculated that he was in the running to take over for Matt whenever he decided to leave. Over time he began to do Sports Stories for TODAY Show which by Late Summer 2014 then become about once a week. Then Jamie Horowitz became SVP and Josh began filling in for Natalie that September. Then in October Jamie hatched a plan to fire everyone on the show except for Matt and Hoda. He was gonna replace Savannah with Hoda and Natalie with Josh. He was going to add Samantha Ponder and Brooke Anderson to the show. he planned to replace Matt with Josh within 2 Years. Horowitz in his short 2 1/2 Months (and he was not even set to begin officially until December!) caused a lot of problems, chaos, mayhem, drama, back fighting, infighting, feuds and resentment behind the scenes. He then began to leak false stories (And other Stories to of the impending plan) to the press and pitted Anchors and Producer against each other. As one person describe it: "He walk in and threw a bomb and blew up the place". The morale during that time was very low. He would throw Producers and Anchors under the bus when they were not around. It was a extremely toxic environment He is responsible for the feuding between Natalie and Tamron. Soon in November Savannah, Willie and Natalie all hearing about their possible demotion went to Matt (who a couple weeks earlier told Burke he was covered about Horowitz) voicing Concerns and about what he was planning. Matt then went to Deborah Turness who then (among a Anchor revolt) put the kibosh on the plan and fired Jamie Horowitz. There went out the window the possibly of Josh taking over for Matt. Before Willie, the real front runner was Lester Holt. He was already the host of Weekend Today and he had the "it factor" necessary to become a full time host. He is very likable, solid credentials, has chemistry with his co-anchors could transition well from hard news to entertainment. He was the viewers favorite on the Today show. Geist had more tv time after Lester was promoted to full time Dateline host. Before Willie came, Lester Holt was the fill in and on the weekday show quite often, when he got the Dateline host position he slowly transitioned away from the Today show. David Gregory was on shaky ground cause of his MTP job and eventually was fired and Geist got the position by default. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TVNewsJunkie15 56 Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 Before Willie, the real front runner was Lester Holt. He was already the host of Weekend Today and he had the "it factor" necessary to become a full time host. He is very likable, solid credentials, has chemistry with his co-anchors could transition well from hard news to entertainment. He was the viewers favorite on the Today show. Geist became had more tv time after Lester was promoted to full time Dateline host. Before Willie came, Lester Holt was the fill in and on the weekday show quite often, when he got the Dateline host position he slowly transitioned away from the Today show. David Gregory was on shaky ground cause of his MTP job and eventually was fired and Geist got the position by default. I knew Lester was a front runner at one tie but for some reason I thought David Gregory wa for awhile? It seem like during Ann year (And maybe Meredith last year?) as co-anchor and Savannah First Year David was. But at one time there was talk that Gregory could take over for Matt. Lester was a front runner at one time you are right about that. It was during the last few years that Katie Couric was the show and during Meredith time that Lester was front runner but over the last several years he came to be considered the front runner to replace Brian Williams on Nightly News more then being thought as Matt main successor. In fact during Savannah first year David Gregory filled in more then Lester. David wasn't very good on MTP to be honest (although he better then Chuck I will say) but he was very good on TODAY Show I always thought. I do agree Lester always did a good job when he filled in. He work great with Katie, Meredith and Ann. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Red 104 Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016 I knew Lester was a front runner at one tie but for some reason I thought David Gregory wa for awhile? It seem like during Ann year (And maybe Meredith last year?) as co-anchor and Savannah First Year David was. But at one time there was talk that Gregory could take over for Matt. Lester was a front runner at one time you are right about that. It was during the last few years that Katie Couric was the show and during Meredith time that Lester was front runner but over the last several years he came to be considered the front runner to replace Brian Williams on Nightly News more then being thought as Matt main successor. In fact during Savannah first year David Gregory filled in more then Lester. David wasn't very good on MTP to be honest (although he better then Chuck I will say) but he was very good on TODAY Show I always thought. I do agree Lester always did a good job when he filled in. He work great with Katie, Meredith and Ann. Spot on with everything you said. David Gregory was a real possibillity, cause it was no secret he wanted the job and was willing to step on toes to do it. Gregory did not want the Meet The Press job and wanted to use MTP job as a way to position his way to the Today show. Lester was a good host, he brought class to the Today show which is something the show has been lacking for a long time. I don't know if he ever really wanted the position but he was in a good place where it was his for taking if NBC kept Curry and let Lauer out his contract then Lester would have taken over and most of the NBC Ann Curry disaster would not have happened. After the Curry scandal, they made Geist a full time Today show member and by default he was considered to be Matt's replacement. As time went on Lester slowly moved away from Today to focus more Dateline and did eventually become heir apparent to Nightly News. He preserved his hard news roots and it did eventually pay off in becoming the new Nightly News anchor. Geist is more a product of nepotism, I don't think he will ever be a longterm fixture. If he does become a Today show host, I don't think the show will not revolve around him the same it revolved around Matt Lauer. I highly doubt Matt will be willing to let out his contract. He could be angling for more money, my speculation. He is already overpaid to the max and does not even work full time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USNewsie 49 Posted April 3, 2016 Share Posted April 3, 2016 Erica is staying at NBC to report for Nightly News and anchor on MSNBC. http://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/erica-hill-leaving-weekend-today/289399 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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