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NBC News Boss Tells Where Ann Curry Went Wrong on ‘Today’

Jul 6, 2012  •  Post A Comment

Now that she’s gone from "Today," NBC News President Steve Capus has revealed that Ann Curry’s failure on the morning show included her inability to handle cooking segments, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Capus said Curry was weak in the food segments as well as celebrity interviews, the story reports.

“I think it was not where her real passion was,” Capus told THR. “In her heart of hearts, I think she would admit that. I think her real passion is built around reporting on international stories. It’s tough to convey a sincere interest in something if you don’t possess it.”

Capus also indicated that the advent of hi-def programming played a role. “We live in an HD world,” he said. “Dan Rather used to say the camera never blinks. Well, this is an HD world now, and the camera picks up everything. And you could tell with her — you can tell with any anchor, whether they’re into it or not. And I think we’ve now come up with a role that will play to her strengths.”

Curry will contribute to NBC News programs as an international correspondent and anchor.

The story notes: “Asked why Curry did not work out as a morning TV host, Capus allowed that her weakness was convincingly presiding over morning TV staples such as cooking segments and celebrity interviews that make up a big chunk of the job.”

Said Capus: “We gave her a year to prove herself, and ultimately we came to the conclusion that she had played at the highest level she could. When you’re in the major leagues of our profession, you’ve got to continue to be at peak performance in order to stay there.”

27 Comments

  1. Couldn’t Matt handle the cooking segments????

  2. Sounds like her hiring boss set Ann up for failure. Since she had been with the Today Show for years and substituted for Meredith, the boss had plenty of opportunities to check out her strengths and weaknesses and if cooking and celeb segments were not her forte, this should have been explained to her and the job given to someone more qualified, not someone with more tenure.

  3. In other words, Ann Curry did not excel at the useless garbage of cooking segments and the ridiculous, useless, unappealing trash of celebrity interviews. NBC News has further proven its broad-based stupidity and lack of clear judgment.

  4. In much the same way that high ratings, apparently, are not a passion of the NBC executives.

  5. Not buying it. She was the one person M/M Brad Pitt wanted for their interviews. Matt didn’t like Ann and that’s all you need to know about her departure.

  6. Can we just say Deborah Norville?? Bryant pushed out Jane Pauley for Deborah Norville and look how that turned out. So Matt pushing out Ann does not surprise me. Ann has filled in as co-anchor for years and could do the job. If Natalie was smart she would get out as soon as she can and take her talents someplace else. I don not watch the show that often but I would have picked her or Hoda over Savannah. In time she will be out the door and we will be talking about this all over again. I have to say I enjoy watching CBS This Morning now.

  7. Hmm… Of course it couldn’t possibly have had anything to do with her inability to allow any person she was interviewing, celebrity or not, to actually answer the question she was asking, without answering the question for them? Steve Capus was being kind. She was a master at reading the news, if she can go back to that she’ll do fine.

  8. Well-said, Biff. What does NBC’s comment say about the executives’ understanding of the American public’s level of intelligence? There are many of us “out here” who watched (note the past tense!) the Today show for the depth of intelligence that Ann Curry brought to the show. Although I found food segments and interviews of celebreties “cute!”, I waited through those segments in order to get to, what I considered, the meat of their program. Now, all that NBC gives its audience is potato chips!

  9. BULL! As many have already commented, Ann filled in as host and – in her position as one of the 4 “anchors” participated in cooking segments and celebrity interviews for 15 years — when did the sudden so-called ineptness creep in? I expect this underhnded BULL will translate into even lower ratings for Today.
    And, I hope Ann does as many others have recently – jump ship and head over to ABC — they seem to be on a mission to bury NBC news– and the cheering squad is redy to help!

  10. Ann Curry viewers have Steven Capus hanging in effigy for scapegoating her. The noose is ratings…already “crushed by a 670,000-viewer margin,” to be followed by ratings that plunge into the abyss. How long will Stephen B. Burke, CEO of NBCU/Comcast continue to shield Capus with silence and indifference?
    Ann Curry viewers to Burke: FIRE Capus, apologize to Ann Curry and bring her back to the Today Show.

  11. Sorry, but Steve Capus sounds like a real deuche bag. Matt “Lenoed” Ann out of a job and I believe that this is going to be the down fall of “Today” as everyone now senses who the “wizard” (“Wizard of ‘Oz'”) is.
    Since NBC offered her another gig, they probably did not have to buy her out saving long litigation and keeping her employed. But I have a feeling that she will not be featured much and that this is all window dressing.
    Funny how they (men) seem to think that Ann (at 55) did not “have the strengths in the right areas” (kissing Matt’s ass the way that Hoda does) to be a host of the ‘Today Show’ so we’ll replace her with a younger (read: nice ass and t**ts) and bring a little of Katie (who is now long in the tooth) back to bring us back to number one.”
    Matt is the “brand” and now it has become obvious what a little backstabbing and conniving “bitch” that he is.
    The Olympics will give them a boost, but it will be very short-lived. GMA is going to suffer because Robbin is leaving for several months to tend to her illness.
    Morning show viewers seem to be the most loyal and fickle out of any day part. The “Today” show is now toast!

  12. Where Ann Curry went wrong was accepting a job next to Matt Lauer in the first place…

  13. Sorry You are not correct Anne is no doubt a sweet person, empathetic and kind but her interviewing skills were not good. She was not the correct fit. She was not from day one in the anchor seat.

  14. NBC is like Fox.. they have a tendency to panic and get rid of the first thing that crosses and exec’s sight. This goes down to the local level where they got rid of Sue Simmons just about the most popular anchor in the market.

  15. Wish someone would tell the weekend late news guy this (looked like an old gay guy) on WGAL 8 – York, PA. He’s “not in it” just like this guy described Ms. Curry to be. His story on Ernest Borgnine, he couldn’t even stay on track, and was clearly watching the footage, then mispronounced something within the story. He may be their “minority,” and have been in the business for ages, but he didn’t look good to the rest of the country, for all of us watching on Roku, Via USTVNOW app.

  16. I miss Ann already. I can’t believe that they used her as the scapegoat for the many problems they have. I loved her on Dateline NBC as well and she has also been removed from that show as well. She was they heart and soul of both shows and she was so unexpectedly plucked from both. I watched those shows, because of the unique perspective she brought to them; to every story. They really got it wrong on this one. I am not sure that I will be watching either show as often as I did. Worse of all, they did not give her the sendoff they gave everyone else, which makes it clear that the relationship between Ann and NBC did not end amicably. Someone should tell the execs now that replacing Ann with Savannah is not going to increase their ratings.

  17. I no longer watch NBC Today Show. The way Ann Curry was “dumped” was disgusting. As far as I am concerned she was the best thing on that show. She gave it some “class”.

  18. NBC still lovs to spin the bullsh*t!
    Ann is a journalist not a cooking host and who the heck cares about coddling so called celebrities!
    the bottom line: NBC again missed the mark on this one. If they just want aidheads on the Today Show then they currently have the perfect line up. I quit watching with Ann’s departure.

  19. UGH! How many women have been replaced on this show vs. men?????? I think it’s obvious who dropped the ball! Go Ann get a better job and enjoy life!!!

  20. NBC execs must think they are characters in the tv series, “Mad Men.” If Stephen Burke, Steve Capus, Jim Bell, and Matt Lauer, were written into next season, the fictional “Don Draper” would have his hands full. Those brash, rude, dispicable characters MUST be the same way at home as they are in business. Their wives should form a club and write a book! Then America would be able to understand why they treated Ann Curry so severely. Just unsavory-how those men treated sweet, dutiful, worthy Ann Curry.

  21. Burke and Fili-Krushel, you know what’s expected after the Olympics, so do it. Pay Steve Capus and J Bell off. Send those depraved duds on their merry way. Give Snoozannah Guthrie a big promotion and salary bump and send that no-top-lip zero-personality-tween impersonator out the door as UNCEREMONIOUSLY as you did the GREAT Ann Curry. Thank you, America! P. S. GMA and Robin-Go on to thee doctors for your treatment next month as planned. Those losers at Matt Lauer’s henhouse will keep on losing because of that Roostet who should’ve been fired!

  22. NBC you shot yourself in the foot when you let Ann Curry go. She is a serious journalist who should not have been expected to do cooking and celebrity
    segemnts in the first place. Those of us who have half a brain don’t care about that crap anyway. It is a morning
    NEWS show!!! After 15 years, I have not watched TODAY since Ann was so abruptly booted and I don’t intend to return
    unless drasric chamnges are made.

  23. I must say that Ann Curry was my favorite on the TODAY show. What HD actually did was show how REAL she was. I like real.. bye bye NBC.

  24. I thought this was a news show. That is where Ann did have strength. I don’t watch the Today Show for cooking segments. I want to know what is happening in the world that is of importance. The Today Show is leaning toward too much gossip and little life tips. They definitely need to stop the segment with the 3 specialists. They just scream and argue. Maybe the show needs to be shorter with more worthwhile stories. I don’t care what Matt wants, I care about what viewers want. He has done an injustice to the show and I think his co-workers agree. Savannah is weak and rather immature. She makes a lot of silly errors and it too flirty.

  25. I thought this was a news show. That is where Ann did have strength. I don’t watch the Today Show for cooking segments. I want to know what is happening in the world that is of importance. The Today Show is leaning toward too much gossip and little life tips. They definitely need to stop the segment with the 3 specialists. They just scream and argue. Maybe the show needs to be shorter with more worthwhile stories. I don’t care what Matt wants, I care about what viewers want. He has done an injustice to the show and I think his co-workers agree. Savannah is weak and rather immature. She makes a lot of silly errors and it too flirty.

  26. I never watched the Today show for their “cute” segments such as the cooking segments or the “steals and deals”.
    I watched the Today show because of their news content.
    Ann Curry had a heart for the stories that mattered and she delivered those stories in a way that made you feel the emotion of the story being told.
    The Today show’s ratings are going to go South and I for one hope Matt Lauer goes with them.
    I’ve been on the Plaza many times when they all come out to talk to the crowd. What you don’t see is that Matt comes out for a few minutes and then he disappears. The rest of the team stays to say hello and talk with the people who came to see them.
    I guess Matt feels being cordial to the fans is above him.
    Ann, I wish you well and no doubt you will be much better off leaving the show.

  27. this is a INTELLIGENT world and the common folk can smell a load from a ways away. and this. is. a. load. if you didnt want to state the real reason then just dont make a public comment.

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