All eyes were on NBC News last week after news broke on Wednesday that the network was reportedly planning to replace "Today's" Ann Curry one year after she became co-host.
Curry, who previously served as the show's newsreader for fourteen years, became co-host when Meredith Vieira left the show last June. Since ascending to the top spot, Curry has experienced a barrage of negative press criticizing her performance, her chemistry with co-host Matt Lauer, and even holding her responsible for the "Today" show's ratings woes.
On CNN's Sunday show "Reliable Sources," host Howard Kurtz discussed Curry's future and the network's decision to possibly replace her. The Baltimore Sun's David Zurawik said that ratings were responsible for the network's decision. While he defended the network's right to "make this move," he criticized NBC News for its handling of the situation.
"I don't have a lot of sympathy for a lot of people on television," Zurawik said, "but seeing last week when the 'Ladies Home Journal' excerpts came out from an interview that she had done...and she talked about being [on 'Today' for]...five years, or ten years...it's really embarrassing." Zurawik also noted the unfortunate chyron that was displayed under Curry on Thursday, one day following the New York Times report that network executives were reportedly planning to replace her.
The Huffington Post's Maureen Ryan, who also sat on the panel, said that NBC News might have a PR problem on their hands. "I think in the grand scheme of things, NBC has done wrong," she said. "I don't think it's going to rank up there in the top ten, but that's a pretty insane top ten. But I do think there's going to be a perception problem...it's playing out very messily, very publicly."
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