"Where In The World Is Matt Lauer?" Postponed Due To Economy

NEW YORK — Where in the world is Matt Lauer? Staying in the USA this year.

In a nod to the economy, the "Today" show is putting off its annual mystery trip where Lauer is sent to exotic spots from Monte Carlo to Mount Everest. Instead, NBC's morning team will be spending a week in May exploring affordable vacation spots in the United States.

"Today" Executive Producer Jim Bell said he had solicited suggestions from viewers for this year's "Where in the World Is Matt Lauer" trip. Instead, many told him that in bad economic times, the extravagant trip sent the wrong message.

"Going from Paris to the Pyramids began to feel potentially out of touch," Bell said Friday.

The segments have become Lauer's signature, and one of the most popular features on television's most popular morning show. For a week, Lauer is in a different location every day, giving clues to see if his colleagues and viewers can guess in advance where he is going. Each day's show then focuses on stories happening at the spot being visited.

Lauer has been sent on nine of the trips, logging more than 200,000 miles in the air.

He'll have traveling companions for the domestic trip. Other members of the "Today" team _ Meredith Vieira, Ann Curry and Al Roker _ will be with him. All four traveled to Beijing for coverage of the Olympics, and Bell likes the vibe of keeping them together.

The series begins May 1. The "Today" team goes to Ireland next week.

Partly because the domestic trip hasn't been mapped out yet and partly because four on-air personalities are traveling instead of one, Bell said he isn't sure whether the switch would save money or actually be more expensive for producers.

"This show takes great pride in reflecting what's going on in the world," Bell said, "and this just feels right."

Comments

[albanianmomforobama]

04:45 PM on 03/16/2009

How come...oh maybe because they wasted all that money when he went to Alaska to interview the brainless Sarah Palin?

[booboo111]

08:45 PM on 03/16/2009

Is he still spray painting the ever-enlarging bald spot on the back of his head?

[falcon1982]

07:07 PM on 03/15/2009

As someone who likes to travel, Matt Lauer going to different parts of the world isn't a problem. Just put him in coach with everyone else. Make him stay at the absolute cheapest accomodations (I had to set up camp near the banks of the Aare just to afford staying in Switzerland). I would suggest to him to cook his own food and not eat fast food or at fine dining restaurants. If you're in Paris, take the Metro and don't even think about driving. If Mr. Lauer is going to replace his world wide travels for lavish vacations here in the U.S., it's going to make things even worse.

[harriettubman]

02:06 PM on 03/15/2009

They should've done the foreign trips biannually and stayed in the U.S. every other year. Why report about other countries when never showing what exists here in the U.S? There are some great places to see.

[leo21]

12:58 PM on 03/15/2009

Doing a US tour seems interesting. I did find it interesting that GMA weekend edition announced that it would be sending their correspondents abroad to show how cheap travel can be in this new age of low airfares.

[JEdgarH]

11:00 AM on 03/15/2009

Who the heck cares? I can't stand it when the MS news media become the subject of the story. I want information, not stories on Matt's travels and the whole cast trying their hand at different jobs and activities (they just did a segment on all of them trying their hands at figure painting). I mean, what's that all about? They're not the story, they're supposed to be reporting or commenting, whatever, on others. When did they become the story? The Today Show isn't the only so-called news show to be guilty of this silliness, GMA and The Early Show are just as guilty of making their commentators the subjects of their stories.

[Hagrid]

01:11 AM on 03/15/2009

It should have been CANCELLED last year, when fuel prices were soaring ans teh 'NBC family' were allegedly going Green

[jaymcb]

11:39 PM on 03/14/2009

I say put them in a RV for 5 days and travel together and see who is left standing.

[ignorantwillyharper]

11:43 AM on 03/14/2009

Trouble is, Lauer always seems to find his way back.

[screwedrus]

10:00 AM on 03/14/2009

Send Al "the most irritating human alive" Roker instead. Maybe they'll lose him.

[Dannydel]

11:17 AM on 03/15/2009

I like it when they take that obese goofball and attempt to pass him off as an 'investigative journalist'. Sorry 'Today', Matts a lightweight, Anne is a vaccuous twit and Al Roker is a joke.

[booboo111]

08:46 PM on 03/16/2009

So cynical! Life's not going too well I guess....

[harriettubman]

02:07 PM on 03/15/2009

I like Al!

[LeeCalif]

09:40 AM on 03/14/2009

Wrong question.

Should be.......

Who in the world cares where Matt Lauer is ?

[Imzadi]

09:29 AM on 03/14/2009

Good. It's a /ame segment anyway...

[LeonBNJ]

08:41 AM on 03/14/2009

They are going to Ireland next week, so not all foreign travel is ditched for the show. But that may have more to do with politics and subsidies from the Irish Toruism Board.
The bulk of their audience is working (or non-working) Americans. Few of them have ever or will ever travel outside the USA, Canada, Mexico and the Carribbean or will ever have a passport, so featuring USA locations may be more topical to them. I also suspect this may be pressure from parent GE for public relations to not show extragavent spending and to cut costs. These 'Where' weeks were done during May, an advertising 'sweeps' month to improve Neilsen numbers. Still, they could go to Puerto Rico or the USVI or Hawaii as well as other places on the mainland USA. These and many other areas of the USA that have much of their economy based on tourism and in need for tourist could be featured as well. They could feature pricing specials as to hotels, get sponsers like a major moderate priced motel chain in a deal, show ways to save money while traveling.

[SCboy]

08:34 AM on 03/14/2009

Remember when Matt Lauer seemed to enjoy this gig? Lately it seems like he is just phoning it in. I had hopes for the Today Show when Katie left. Now 7:00am has become walk the dog time.

(Posted a couple hours ago. If it shows up twice, sorry).

[harriettubman]

02:08 PM on 03/15/2009

By 9:00 am I'm turning to TVLand or another station. I can't stand 3 hrs of the Today show. Why is it that long? For goodness sake, can't NBC come up with something else?

[DallasDon]

06:46 AM on 03/14/2009

Where in the world is Matt Lauer? Who cares!

Maybe they can send him on a worldwide mission to find Madoff's missing 68 million dollars.

[historymatters]

12:11 AM on 03/14/2009

I kind of had the impression last year that Lauer was just getting tired of the whole thing. He looked completely wiped out, and rather irritated, by the end of the last trip! Maybe the economy is just a convenient excuse.

[harriettubman]

02:09 PM on 03/15/2009

Yes he did. You could tell he didn't want to do it. Besides his 3 young children.

[booboo111]

08:47 PM on 03/16/2009

I think it had more to do with his divorce over that bald spot.