There has been so much attention placed on the Brian Williams scandal over at NBC News that we often forget that much of the network's house is struggling in the ratings. The Today show dominated the morning show battle for a long time, but it has fallen to ABC in recent years and the struggle to climb back on top has yet to be successful. Hoda Kotb sat in for normal newsreader, Natalie Morales last week and the ratings were actually much better than usual. This has led to intense speculation that NBC News is going to push Morales out of her Today show spot in favor of Kotb and not everyone is happy about it.
According to a report by Page Six, "There's rampant speculation within NBC News that Natalie Morales is being moved - against her will - off the Today show and over to Dateline. Hoda Kotb would replace Morales, a favorite of Matt Lauer, as the 7 to 9 a.m. newsreader. "They'll try to position this as a 'promotion' for Natalie - but make no mistake, she's not happy," explains an insider.
The fact that Lauer loves Morales, so much so that rumors of them having an affair have circulated for years, will probably help to cement her spot at Today for awhile. An NBC official insists that there is no truth to the rumors and that Morales is considered to be a very important part of their morning team. If NBC's morning team consistently loses out in the ratings to ABC then do you think that it is time for them to make some changes to their on-air talent?
Would swapping out Morales for Kotb be a good idea? Do you think that viewers really do prefer Kotb or was the demo last week just a fluke? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
