Despite MATT LAUER’s sinking popularity with “Today” viewers, who still view him as snotty/mean-spirited after he cold-shouldered colleague ANN CURRY during her tearful on-air sayonara, he scored a surprising, multimillion$$ three-year NBC contract extension, even though ABC’s “Good Morning America” consistently kills “Today” – and here’s the hush-hush reason: NBC execs ordered Matt to cajole/kidnap old pal/ex-“Today” co-host KATIE COURIC into signing anew!
Said a network insider: “NBC execs truly believe the only way to unseat ‘GMA’ is bringing Katie back!
"SAVANNAH GUTHRIE’s a good team player, but she’s not going to push the show over the top. And the big wheels fear there’s no way Katie will return without Lauer by her side – after all, they rode atop the ratings for a whopping eight years. They somehow complement each other – Katie smooths Matt’s rough edges, making him more human and likeable. And his enthusiasm really rubs off on Katie. They made a great team.
"As for Katie’s current gig as a so-called ‘roving ambassador’ for Yahoo News, it’s kind of a do-nothing affair, and her career’s verging on stonycold, so execs expect she might take the bait.
"As for Matt, he knows his contract extension comes with the unwritten caveat that he’ll fight to deliver Katie!”
