Sticking with Today puts tomorrow on hold!

     

As promised, people, I said I would be keeping an eye on this situation and updating you all when something of note came up, as it did late last week inside NBC Studio 1A in Rockefeller Plaza in NYC, and is making headlines this morning - the statement that Matt Lauer is "sticking with the (beleaguered) Today show" franchise. 

I find the wording of the announcement rather intriguing, not least because the fact that he was likely to "stick with them" was hardly in doubt. He has one of the cushiest spots in broadcast journalism; a position for which he is paid a king's ransom - and then some. It sounds rather unflattering actually, to "stick with" something, whether it be a job or a partner for that matter. What surprises me though, is that "Today" is sticking with him, a move I find to be extraordinarily conservative on the part of NBC.

This show has been running scared for over a year now, and it does not take a degree in psychology to have been able to peel apart the sugary sweet outer layer of what appears on our TV screens each morning, to reveal a state of chaos, panic and competing ambitions bubbling right under that shiny veneer. Careers are made and broken on that set - just ask Ann Curry or Deborah Norville. 

If you tell me that Willie Geist would not jump up and down at news that ol' Matt was leaving the show (finally), then I would laugh. Ditto Natalie Morales, in reference to the adequately performant Savannah Guthrie. It is a simple fact on a show such as "Today" that one person's nightmare becomes the opening door of big time opportunity for those ready to stick the knife in their back to help them on the way out. 

Look at the Ann Curry debacle alone, and you get the picture. When our darling Meredith Vieira decided her time had come, it was seen as automatic that either Ann or Natalie would take over the co-anchor slot. To my ongoing amazement to this day, some (not so) bright spark at NBC decided to give the slot to Ann Curry - a top notch journalist, perhaps, but totally wrong for the co-anchor chair. Her gaffes when reading the teleprompter on even scripted news bits was testament alone to her inadequacy for the role. But NBC went with her, and it was one of their biggest errors in "Today" show history.

That mistake cost the franchise big, and still does to this day. They seem to have not been educated on one of the biggest human resources no-nos in business - that promoting an insufficiently talented or badly equipped employee into a role that is beyond them is asking for trouble. Trouble they got, in abundance, and the franchise slipped down the ratings and lost the top spot for the first time in seemingly a century. That top spot has not been regained since. 

The Ann Curry period was one thing, and the astoundingly insensitive way in which she was dispensed with by NBC is another, but guess what, even when she was gone the darkness clung to the walls and desks leading many to ask what had been heretofore a taboo question: is the problem actually Matt Lauer?! Unquestionably, Matt's brand was affected by the Ann Curry debacle, and his reported role in her exit lost him many lifetime fans, but he cannot be totally blamed given that he didn't hire her or hadn't pushed for her to occupy the prized seat beside him each morning. 

But his halo got dented, he had suddenly lost some of the golden boy sheen around which the show was currently built, and he even began to look uneasy at the desk. There were many rumours about tensions inside the corridors at NBC, and even stories of a major backlash among the staff regarding this grossly overpaid prince of primetime. A chilly frost seeped along the very foundations of the show, and at some points it appeared that the winter chill surrounding Matt could even lead to a modern day mutiny on his bounty. 

"We couldn't be more thrilled with Matt's decision. As I've said many times before, he's the best in the business, and there is nobody I would rather have in the 'Today' anchor chair than Matt.", said NBC News President Deborah Turness. 

I find this to be a very interesting take on things, as I don't think it should have been Matt's decision - it should have been NBC's. They give the impression they were quaking in their boots in case he had decided not "to stick with NBC", and had jumped ship. My take on this is that NBC are still in a state of chaos and are running scared, and better the devil we know than taking any risks whatsoever. 

Don't give me any more of that "Willie ain't ready" nonsense, because that's just fear talking. Plain old fear, over our young Willie. How ready would they consider Matt as he was back in 1997, if they were to consider that today?! He's been on the show for two decades, and you can't tell me he was far ahead of where Willie Geist is today, back then. It's sheer fear, but NBC better be real careful with the talent, something they are not known for, I might add. 

Willie may be looking, already, feeling a little like Prince Charles - a prince for life, destined to never fulfill his role as future king, due to an incredibly selfish and egotistical mother. If they are gonna keep Matt around until no one can stand him anymore, then Willie would do well to jump ship and go be the star that he undoubtedly is at another studio that appreciates him more. 

Apparently Lauer, heading rapidly towards 60, said of the contract extension recently - "I consider this the best job in broadcasting. I love the people I work with every day and I have such respect and gratitude for the people I work for. I couldn't be happier to be staying." Very politically correct, even if it is in stark contrast to various stories from behind the scenes regarding how happy they all are (together. Not. But it's dog eat dog in their world, and good luck to them with that.  

Matt will continue on, though for how long we don't know because neither NBC nor Matt have given any detail on how long the extension is for or how extravagant is his remuneration package this time. No shocker there. He will go on, and do a solid job as usual. But trust me people, the "Today" show's pristine brand has been tarnished, and like it or not, Matt is part and parcel of that, especially given his own stained brand. Some might argue that they are in fact perfect for one another, and NBC are helping him simultaneously become one of the most successful yet most disliked faces on primetime TV. 

It is my opinion that the "Today" show will never reclaim the top spot in morning news while they persist with a fading star whose time has already come. The show simply is creaking with old age at the seams, and it so badly needs a Willie Geist to come in and take over the chair and give it a total spring cleaning and refresher course. Only then will we feel that the clock has been reset and we can all move on to pastures new. You know? Even Matt himself would benefit enormously from a fresh challenge in life, rather than contemplating even another five years of phoning it in for the cash and associated fame. He better be careful that his fame does not turn into infamy.

Some companies take big risks to reap massive rewards. NBC in this case have played totally safe, and have more or less announced that they are willing to settle for being in second place. Quite an amazing admission, but the executives and producers involved all want to keep their jobs, so clearly prefer to continue on with Matt Lauer, rather than making a second Ann Curry-like mistake by putting someone new in the chair and thereby sealing their own fate. Staggeringly conservative, and welcome to a long-term residency in the #2 spot, NBC!                 Kevin Mc