ANN CURRY BEING DROPPED FROM TODAY SHOW CO-ANCHOR CHAIR ?............

The NBC News "Today Show", which has been on morning television since January 14, 1952, has dominated in the ratings for most of its 60 years on the air, including the past 16 years until this April, when it has been under increasing ratings pressure from rival ABC's "Good Morning America",  during the past year, resulting in being beat for first place after 852 weeks at number 1.  A year ago when Meredith Vierra departed the co-anchor chair next to Matt Lauer, she was succeeded internally by Today newsreader and special foreign crisis reporter, Ann Curry.  After fourteen years with the Today Show, Curry became the next woman co-anchor in a thirty five year line of female co-anchors, from Barbara Walters, Jane Pauley, Deborah Norville, Katie Couric, and Meredith Vierra.  Of her five predecessors, only Norville had difficulty finding acceptance in the role, and was replaced in little over a year as ratings declined in Good Morning America's favor.  Ann Curry has endured the same kind of struggle seeming comfortable and meshing with Matt Lauer on the air of the Today Show during the past year, and as ABC'S Good Morning America co-anchor team of George Stephanopoulos and Robin Roberts, have excelerated in viewer acceptance and ratings; the Today Show's plunge and fall from first place, has been blamed largely on Curry.  Three weeks ago, it became apparent her days as Today co-anchor were numbered; when her predecessor Vierra was sent to London with Lauer, to cover and co-anchor coverage of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.  Then, last week the New York Times published a story reporting Curry's departure as co-anchor was coming, and would likely be out before the start of NBC and the Today Show's coverage of the London Olympics in late July.  A   foreign correspondent role with NBC News was mentioned as a possibility.   Further word this week is that NBC is negotiating with her a contract buyout between $10-20 million.  Savannah Guthrie, currently the third hour Today Show co-anchor, who has recently served as NBC News Legal Affairs correspondent, and was co-anchor with Chuck Todd, of MSNBC's "The Daily Rundown", is reportedly been chosen to take Curry's place as soon as next week.  The sticking points now are whether Ann Curry will accept $10 million and a foreign correspondent role, in departing the Today Show, or will hold out for $20 million, the supposed sum of the two years remaining on her contract, and forego any on air assignment on NBC for the next two years ?  Well accepted on both the Today Show and "Dateline NBC", until she was named Today co-anchor last year, why she has borne the disfavor of the audience and now the blame of the network for Today's decline is telling.  Has she failed to meet the standard of Vierra and Couric, with whom she appeared before now ? Or as one of my  colleagues thinks, is her intellectual personality failing to connect with the viewers in a morning ratings battle between Today and Good Morning America, that is increasingly entertainment oriented, versus hard news driven ?  What role, what affect, Curry being removed as Today Show co-anchor, will have on her future and the restoration of ratings dominance for Today, will become apparent in the weeks ahead, and most likely re-establish her credentials as a correspondent with NBC News or elsewhere. For now it seems she is a casaulty of a loss in ratings, that translates into advertising profits............Fr.  Troy