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NBC Universal is courting Ryan Seacrest as a potential replacement for Matt Lauer on the Today show, the Wall Street Journal reports. The paper says NBC News, Today show, and NBC network executives met with Seacrest on Tuesday about the possibilty of him joining the morning talker. The discussions with Seacrest include multiple possibilities that might enhance his role within the broader corporate context at Comcast and NBC Universal. Seacrest’s existing deal with Comcast/NBCUniversal expires next year. He serves as host and producer of a daily news show on E! network as well as E!’s red-carpet specials. Seacrest’s prolific TV production company is also based at E! A Seacrest spokeswoman would say only that negotiations with NBC Universal were ongoing.
WSJ: Ryan Seacrest May Replace Matt Lauer
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No insult intended but does Seacrest have the “serious” interview skills that someone like Lauer does?
Lauer’s fantastic with hard news stories/interviews but also has a fun edge to him. Does Seacrest have the same serious abilities?
He has the skill if the interviewed is Justin Bieber or Taylor Lautner. Otherwise, no.
No, no, hell no!!
This would be a bad move for Ryan. Why lock yourself into something as mundane? I’m sure Adam and company will advise him against this. If he does this he might as well forget about the vast majority of the other things he does in the business.
You’re right. Why lower yourself to even a modicum of real journalism when you can produce an expose on Lady Gaga’s hair color and create fictional lives for the Kardashian trolls to lead? This would be a step down for him. As a big admirer of his high-brow aestheticism I hope he keeps pumping out the quality jams at E?.
This makes no sense, for NBC or for Seacrest. He is already a one-man empire and has taken over E! — why would he give up a chunk of that for the daily grind of morning news? Also, while he would bring name recognition to Today, the show doesn’t really need this kind of boost, and his hard news cred is nonexistent. Is he going to go off and have a bagel whenever breaking news occurs? This would be a vanity move, and I doubt it would last long.
it is bad enough that they promoted that awful Ann Curry, with her ridiculous fake gravitas. Seacrest would guarantee that I never watch the Today Show again.
WOW. What are they smoking?
Who does this guy know in the business? No wonder Cowell detested him.
Ummm can you say Merv Griffin?!!! How Seacrest got where he is today. He has no credentials WHATSOEVER to replace Matt Lauer. But hey the Kardashians have no credentials and we have him to thank for them – so why not put a cheesy tv host with no interviewing skills (think red carpet…scary…) on the Today Show?! What an insult to Matt.
Credentials? He has more credentials than anyone on the today show! Everyone around the world knows who Seacrest is.
when does Ryan Seacrest have time to sleep (if he even does)?
NBC is just trying to get Lauer’s agent’s attention.
Lauer’s agent is also Seacrest’s agent. thanks for playing though
Lauer should call their bluff. Watch how quickly the Comcast execs fold once it looks like they’d have to go through with it. Seacrest? Hard news? There go the ratings!
One word: vampire
Seacrest doesn’t have the hard new background need to fill the shoes of Matt Lauer.
Does NBC not remember his horrifying fox talk show? Seacrest can’t interview himself out of a paper bag. I hope Adam Sher who created this guy talks him right out of this.
Before you go shellacking Seacrest for his “lack of cred” keep in mind that Matt Lauer started out as an entertainment news hack on cable too.
But Matt Lauer wasn’t automatically elevated to the number 1 position on “The Today Show.” He spent years working on the show with Bryant Gumbel, before assuming Bryan’t lead anchor position.
Amen TalkMaven! Perfectly said.
Terrible move for both NBC and Seacrest. He’d be fine doing the fluff interviews, but he won’t be taken seriously doing the hard news interviews. “The Today Show” can kiss its 16-year ratings streak goodbye! I won’t be watching anymore.
Guys, this is about money. As much as Ryan’s company does for E! with multiple shows and the E! news hosting, the multiple multiple millions he makes doesn’t make sense for any basic cabler’s economic model. The economics are upside down for Ryan at E!. To keep him NBC needs to move to a place where the ad sales economics can justify the money he makes… The Today Show does that.
SB
Wait… he makes all that money producing garbage. He is perfect for the E! network, with all of their viewers depth and sophistication, but that doesn’t make him a draw on Today. You seem to be describing a scenario in which he is simply entitled to this money and the only way to get it for him is to put him on network TV. Today is one of the few shows left that pull major interviews and stories on a regular basis, and seeing a complete lightweight like Seacrest trying to conduct an interview with a world leader would be enough to turn my stomach.
The E! network and Bravo should pool their money, build a rocket, climb in, and crash it into the fucking moon.
His managers must be amazing for all the jobs he gets. Wow!
Just out of curiosity, how do managers or agents usually split their 10% or 15% commissions with their respective company?
People like RC clutter this comment page.
RC – managers get 10%, agents get 10%, Lawyer get 5%. But shhhhh, if it’s a big star agencies often lower the precent they take to keep the name on their roster.
Now get of the comment page, sit back and learn.
Chow-chow.
Isn’t it time for Chelsea Clinton to be promoted?
she has been – to the NBC news. what a crock. I guess both GW Bush and Clinton must have something on some executive at NBC. Lots of untalented progeny cluttering the NBC “news”.
Smarmy and vacuous! What an irresistible combination!
Is this a joke ? Ryan Seacrest interviewing the Secretary of State, the President or a parent who just lost a child ? Who’d be his co-host, Chelsea Handler ? ABC and CBS must be lighting a candle that this is true. What genius thinks that phoney smile and limited vocabulary gives that guy anywhere near the chops to do that job ? Next to Brian Williams, Lauer is the most important male talent at NBC and an intensely likeable man. This would be the biggest mistake NBC would make since Deborah Norville. This has gotta come from his people to jack up his price to stay with “E”. Seacrest….out.
The dumbing down of America continues.
PM Magazine was the show with former-flame Jill Rappaport – Matt’s great – but, this has just got to be about getting his attention.
Seacrest, I don’t get … but, you can’t argue with his success!
This only further proves that television is over. It is about speaking to the poorest and least served in the nation. Ryan Seacrest is about as interesting as watching a paint dry. I’m sure he is a nice guy, but there are millions of nice guys out there. WHY ARE EXECUTIVES SO AFRAID TO TURN THE NEWS INTO THE NEWS. THEY WILL STILL SELL ADVERTISING!! If only one channel would try to mimic the BBC — take their format for news, we would watch. So humiliating this country…
Matt was on a cheesy, crappy, crummy daytime talker called 9Broadcast Plaza before moving to NBC (Richard Bey took over for him) so just saying there’s no huge diff between Lauer’s background and this fluff.
Two Things:
1. Next we’ll hear they’ve replaced Ann Curry with Chelsea Handler on Today and then the Comcast transition will be complete with Chelsea and Ryan hosting Today. How would those two have handled the 9/11? Or Ryan for that matter…
2. Ryan wouldn’t have to give up anything, since E! is in the Comcast/NBC family.
2.1. But seriously.
This is just Ryan’s people floating Today. It’ll never happen as host of Today, however don’t underplay the possibility of some sort of synergistic co-op of all of Comcast/NBC resources (which is currently underway), Ryan being just one of those resources and, thus, some sort of “play” on Today is a possibility.
Remember, Today has been #1 for something like 600 or 700 consecutive weeks. A HUGE change is not something a major corp on a winning streak usually does, unless you’re the geniuses at Netflix.
I don’t know why some people are hoisting Lauer up like he’s the second coming of Woodward and Bernstein. He conducts softball interviews, and to my knowledge has never broken a major news story in his life. He is, however, the poster child of what passes as news today, infotainment. You want real journalism? Build a time machine and go back 30-40 years, because it no longer exists.
Lauer is a reasonably intelligent, unassuming man who has learned and improved on the job, and can pass himself off. Seacrest can’t even control a 60-second red carpet interview without either getting annoyed, or unwittingly becoming the butt of a joke.
Anyway, he would have to move to New York. Not gonna happen.
No big surprise TODAY is going in that direction. The show has gone soft the past 5-10 years. When Brokaw was on, from 8-8:10am every day was a hard news segment. Recently during that time slot they spoke to Kris Jenner about her daughter Kim’s upcoming divorce. It’s still pretty amazing me to that TODAY is still connected to their news division. Seacrest is the master of his domain (E!, AMERICAN IDOL)…but c’mon, signing Seacrest will be the equivalent of bringing back J. Fred Muggs.
This would be the worst hire since NBC replaced Jane Pauley with Deborah Norville.
Seacrest is the definition of bland vacuousness.