NBC's Today show may be in discussions with Ryan Seacrest to slide into the co-anchor chair when Matt Lauer departs the show, in a move to keep the program tops in its time slot.
Mediaite.com has sources close to the situation that report that Seacrest, 36 could be the choice of the network once Matt Lauer's contract expires in December 2012.
A few months ago, insiders were talking about Lauer giving his bosses notice that he intends to end his relationship with Today at his contract's end.
While the network didn't confirm that report, it issued a statement on the matter that didn't deny it. "There seems to be an awful lot of speculation around news anchors these days, and it’s not our practice to comment on any of it,” it read. “Matt Lauer has a long term contract with NBC News and ‘Today.’
Lauer, 53 has spent 17 years on Today. He was the show's news reader for three years prior to moving over to the co-anchor chair. He followed Bryant Gumbel in that positionand joined Katie Couric in her early years on the show.
NBC's consideration of Ryan Seacrest to assume the early morning throne makes sense any way you look at the situation. He is a generation younger than Lauer and comes with an established national audience.
Today has historically taken co-anchors from its news reader chair or other news programs on the NBC network. Seacrest would be a departure from that model.
The hard news coverage on the early morning programs, including Today has dwindled. Much of what is covered outside the first half-hour can be called pop culture or soft news. Seacrest hosts a daily news show on the E! network and some of what is covered falls into those categories.Today's topics.
He has been a radio host for longer than he's been on television and knows how to fill time and improvise, a talent that is a must for the host of live broadcast. He has gained America's trust to an extent via his opposition to the worst of Simon Cowell's antics when he was the mainstay of the judge's panel on "American Idol"
The changing of the guard at Today is always national news. Traditions and familiarity have proven important to the staying power of Today. While Seacrest's introduction might seem jarring, there is no reason, if the parties come to an agreement, that he can't be a substitute host for vacation purposes prior to Lauer's end date.
Moving his base of operations to New York, from Hollywood might be the biggest stumbling block since his "American Idol" chores keep him tied there for at least five months a year. The E! News show can be broadcast from any city with a studio, as is true of his syndicated radio program.
Look for NBC to give him leeway to host remotely, the way the program occasionally does when big news breaks and only one of the two hosts needs to be near the situation.
As for Lauer, there is no word on what he might want to tackle after he is finished with his Today responsibilities, but expect NBC to try to keep him in the family, which they couldn't do with Katie Couric.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
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