ABC's Good Morning America is about to win its third week in a row in both total viewers and the all-important group of viewers who are ages 25 to 54, and the folks at NBC's Today are left to wonder just what happened.
Claire Atkinson of the New York Post wastes no time speculating - she jumps right in with both feet and writes, simply, that it's a direct result of "the curse of Ann Curry."
But is it really that simple? Maybe not. While Curry's ouster was unpopular with viewers, it's by far not the only problem the show has.
There's evident discord among those who remain. Al Roker made that clear when he quipped about the show's "tradition" of "throw(ing) one of us under the bus." NBC had to quickly put out that fire, but few really bought the explanation.
And then there was last week. While ABC and CBS took their viewers to the moment of silence for the September 11 victims, NBC blithely showed Kardashian mama Kris Jenner talking about her latest boob job instead. And then refused to apologize ... until NBC News president Steve Capus did so - to the affiliates - anyway.
In his apology, Capus took great pains to point out how "brilliant" Savannah Guthrie (Curry's replacement) and Matt Lauer are together. If that were really true, there would be no reason to point it out. Others would be doing so ... yet no one is, has or will, because they're really not.
Meanwhile, over at ABC, despite the absence of Robin Roberts (who is dealing with a serious health issue), GMA continues to roll. Why? They've taken adversity and turned it into a positive, through the use of celebrity guest co-hosts, and continuing to do what they do seamlessly and without strife.
CBS, too, seems to have finally found a niche for itself with CBS This Morning. While the show is still behind both ABC and GMA, it's making strides, and with good reason - while the combination of Norah O'Donnell, Charlie Rose and Gayle King may seem strange, it just plain works.
Maybe NBC needs to watch ... and learn.
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