In the interest of full disclosure and follow through on stories, today we include this footnote to the recent post that discussed in great detail the departure of Ann Curry from the "Today" show on NBC. Now, while I have always felt that her departure was an inevitability, I think that her actual departure as it played out was close to a disgrace. NBC not only underlined once again that they not only seem to have trouble handling the talent, but further, that they don't seem to care about exhibiting even a fraction of the class that the talent in this case has way more of, quite clearly. The anchor she replaced, Meredith Vieira, was with the "Today" show for five years, and her last day was effectively a two hour tribute to her presence on the show. One should not focus on the fact that Ann has been with the show for only a year, because she was promoted from within it, and has been with NBC for fifteen years. Less than five minutes with nothing specially prepared for her, and she had to sing her own swansong with barely evident support.
Her departure was addressed only in the closing few minutes of Wednesday's broadcast, and I felt that the apologetic tone it had was outrageous, while NBC indeed showed that they had learnt little from the Conan debacle. The ratings going down is not a crime against TV humanity, nor can it be totally attributable to her either. I might vouchsafe that the relative silence at the couch could reflect the fact that her colleagues had their hands tied and could not appear to be too supportive of her, or they might be next. Alternatively, what they should be thinking is that with Ann gone, if the ratings plummet further, their scapegoat has been sacrificed and the big spotlight will have to shine elsewhere. Onto them. But no matter the reason, to have a journalist of Ann's experience, stature and tenure with the network, to apologize for "not being able to carry the ball over the finish line" is stunning, and does not make anyone look good. The pain she feels over being made the scapegoat is palpable on that sofa, and the emphasis evident in the words "but man, I did try" was heartbreaking and must have touched everyone. I don't think anyone can argue with that claim.
It truly appears that NBC is just another giant corporation: all that matters is money. There must be so much pressure on a show like "Today" to bring in that hefty advertising revenue that a drop in the ratings must instill a black cloud behind the cameras. The blame game begins, trickling down from the big offices above, to the middle offices below them, on down, to the executive producer's office, and then sideswiped onto the talent. The Conan debacle did end the reign of network head honcho Jeff Zucker though, so the shit can travel back upwards also! In this case, insiders say that his replacement, NBC CEO Steve Burke, had to step in to mediate the ongoing "debate" between NBC news president Steve Capus and "Today" show executive producer Jim Bell. Business as usual at NBC, they say.
Of course the only one who really got hurt here was the fallen anchor; the network is stinking rich and these executives are all on great salaries and packages. Anne herself did alright in the end, with a reported check for ten million in her purse for her troubles. So the network took a dent this year in its expected one billion in advertising revenue for the show? Big deal! No one will cry any tears for them over that. It does not excuse dehumanizing the process of hiring and firing, and in any case they were clearly unable to dehumanize Ann Curry, which is underscored by the video above. You know, Ann? Even those who love to play the macho big shots can often be scared little boys inside, and in this case, these boys just can't hold their curry. Wimps! ;) - Kevin Mc
It truly appears that NBC is just another giant corporation: all that matters is money. There must be so much pressure on a show like "Today" to bring in that hefty advertising revenue that a drop in the ratings must instill a black cloud behind the cameras. The blame game begins, trickling down from the big offices above, to the middle offices below them, on down, to the executive producer's office, and then sideswiped onto the talent. The Conan debacle did end the reign of network head honcho Jeff Zucker though, so the shit can travel back upwards also! In this case, insiders say that his replacement, NBC CEO Steve Burke, had to step in to mediate the ongoing "debate" between NBC news president Steve Capus and "Today" show executive producer Jim Bell. Business as usual at NBC, they say.
Of course the only one who really got hurt here was the fallen anchor; the network is stinking rich and these executives are all on great salaries and packages. Anne herself did alright in the end, with a reported check for ten million in her purse for her troubles. So the network took a dent this year in its expected one billion in advertising revenue for the show? Big deal! No one will cry any tears for them over that. It does not excuse dehumanizing the process of hiring and firing, and in any case they were clearly unable to dehumanize Ann Curry, which is underscored by the video above. You know, Ann? Even those who love to play the macho big shots can often be scared little boys inside, and in this case, these boys just can't hold their curry. Wimps! ;) - Kevin Mc
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