Vieira Agrees to Continue With ‘Today’ Till Fall 2011
A co-host of “Today,”Meredith Vieira, whose contract was set to expire this September, has extended her contract by one year, to the fall of 2011, a person briefed on the matter stated Wednesday.
In a closely watched transition, Ms. Vieira, 56, replaced Katie Couric on “Today” four years ago. Ms. Vieira chose not to make another long-term commitment this year. Still, her renewal is a sign of stability for “Today,” the top-rated morning show, at a time when its two chief competitors, ABC’s “Good Morning America” and CBS’s “The Early Show,” are featuring new hosts.
Ms. Vieira’s contract renewal was first reported Tuesday by TV Guide magazine.
“For her to say, ‘I embrace these hours, I embrace these people,’ really speaks about the strength of the franchise and the power of the franchise,” stated the person briefed on the contract extension, who requested anonymity because the network was not publicly acknowledging the deal.
“Today” is a steamroller for NBC, a hugely profitable program at a time when the network is trying to regain its footing in prime time and late night. In mid-February, before the Olympics inflated its viewership, “Today” averaged 5.7 million viewers, almost a million more than “Good Morning America,” its closest competitor.
In 2006 Ms. Vieira’s co-host, Matt Lauer, 52, renewed his NBC contract for five more years, taking him through 2011. A person briefed on his deal stated Wednesday that it had been extended beyond that date.
An NBC spokeswoman stated the network declined to comment on contracts. The agents for Mr. Lauer and Ms. Vieira did not respond to requests for comments about their clients.
source : feeds.nytimes.com
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Submited at Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 3:00 pm on Television by ethan
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