On Sunday, the “Today” show quietly marked 16 years as the undisputed #1 morning news program. But will Matt Lauer, who has been a part of the show all those years, be around to celebrate 17 years at #1? The streak began December 11, 1995 when Bryant Gumbel and Katie Couric anchored with Lauer as news reader. In today’s LA Times, James Rainey takes up the question of whether Ryan Seacrest will step in at “Today” if Lauer steps away when his contract is up late next year. Rainey asks: “Can a purveyor of Top 40 radio and the next singing sensation on “American Idol” command the television stage in a national crisis?”
There is a huge inner-office battle going on right now about what the ‘Today’ show is going to be next,” said one executive, who is closely familiar with the program but asked not to be named while discussing internal machinations at NBC. “There is still an old guard who remember when the show set the news agenda, before 24/7 news. NBC News was the thing.”
Having done a live radio show for years, and the live “American Idol” Seacrest has learned the the art of live broadcasting, and he’s certainly done his share of interviews, and not just with the likes of Kim Kardashian. He interviewed Pres. Obama before the Midterms last year. But Newt Gingrich? What do you think?