Is Matt Lauer In Charge at Today?

When Matt Lauer fired Ann Curry from the Today Show, NBC tried to act like Matt had nothing to do with it.

NBC said Lauer was a co-host at Today and does not run the program.​

Oh really now?​

If you read Howard Kurtz's Lauer piece in the Daily Beast, you come away thinking that Lauer is the Today Show Kingpin. ​

There are a number of times in the story that show that Lauer is the big swinging dick at Today.

​Talking about NBC pulling Curry off Today:

"“When Matt was informed that we had made this decision, his good counsel was to go slow, to take care of Ann, and to do the right things,” says Steve Capus, who stepped down last month as NBC News president."

So, Matt's telling the bosses to take care of Ann. Sounds like Matt is the boss.​

But it doesn't stop there. "At the outset, though, Lauer would have preferred to anchor with someone else. Before Curry was formally promoted to co-host in 2011, Lauer quietly reached out to an old friend. He asked Katie Couric if she would be willing to return to Today, where they had ruled the time period for nearly a decade."

So Matt was now it charge of hiring as well? This is more than a role of just a co-host of the show. ​

The article writes that "Lauer makes clear that he was not happy with the content of the program as recently as six months ago. “The show got a little dour and depressing and dark,” he says.

It is interesting how Lauer seems to be making many of the decisions for Today. If you just dropped in from another planet and read this story, you would think that Lauer is the Executive ​Producer of the show and not the talent.

Then there is this gem "He (Lauer) also advised Curry, who didn’t employ an agent, to hire one quickly."

So not only is Lauer running the show, he's telling his Co-Host what to do with her career. He was also part of the process on how Guthrie would be brought on as Curry's replacement. "Lauer says Guthrie’s introduction had to be “subtle” because “we were in an awkward time. It was unfortunate for Savannah because she got the job of a lifetime under unusual circumstances through no fault of her own.”"

If this story is accurate as to what is actually ​happening at Today, maybe it's time for Lauer to go back to being the talent and let someone else run the show.

Clearly there are problems with Matt in charge.​....Just look at the ratings.