The drama enveloping the Today show gets another indepth look today, courtesy of an excerpt from Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV, by Matt Lauer’s arch nemesis, Brian Stelter.

In the piece — published by the New York Times — Stelter piles on the current thinking that Lauer and others forced out Ann Curry. In fact, after reading the article, it sounds like the Today show is an absolutely awful place to work.

As Stelter reports, the staffers at Today were all pretty much assholes:

Read more

Matt Lauer is having a rough week. First, New York published that lengthy account about how he forced Ann Curry out at Today and oh by the way, no one really likes him anyway. Now, Deadline reports that someone at the morning show is trying to replace him with Anderson Cooper.

According to the report, someone at Today called Cooper about taking over for Lauer before the end of the year. Obviously Lauer wasn’t pleased about this and told that someone to effectively f*ck off (we’re paraphrasing/making this more exciting here) when they tried to get his blessing on the change. Lauer then called Cooper to tell him to effectively f*ck off, which caught Cooper by surprise, because he assumed Lauer was in on the idea.

The only thing that wasn’t revealed by Deadline’s account was what Cooper said when he was asked if he wanted Lauer’s job. If it was “Yes,” we assume Lauer said many more swear words than we’ve detailed here.

Update (11:30 am):
NBC is of course denying Deadline’s report. NBC News’ senior vice president, Alexandra Wallace, told THR, “As we’ve said before, Matt Lauer is the best in the business. We want him in the Today show anchor chair for many years to come.”

In a long New York piece, the drama surrounding the Today show is explored. It’s well worth reading, but here’s a quick summary: Matt Lauer‘s day in the sun is officially over.

For awhile now, people have suspected Lauer was the reason that Ann Curry was fired, and this piece does nothing but fan those flames. The Lauer hating is officially in overdrive. Below are just a few highlights:

• Lauer was the reason GMA was gaining on Today, not Curry. An independent study found that the public liked Curry more than Lauer. One anonymous source said Lauer was becoming Bryant Gumbel. Minus the hair, obviously.
• Lauer knew Curry was getting fired and despite probably being able to save her, he didn’t. Like New York explains, that doesn’t make him a “horrible person,” but it certainly won’t gain him any fans.
• Lauer doesn’t like Brian Stelter. This is a huge no-no in New York media. Everyone likes Stelter. What’s not to like? But Lauer “refused to give Stelter an interview, believing he was working hand in glove with Ben Sherwood to tear him down in the press.” Stelter denies this claim, but nevertheless, he’s referred to as Lauer’s “nemesis.” This automatically makes him our nemesis, so we’ll see you by the willow tree, Lauer. Three o’clock sharp. Be ready to rumble fancy news boy.

Forget about the dog days of summer. The stifling heat couldn’t keep the faithful away from Michael’s today. In fact, many of the power lunchers showed up early to escape the oppressive temps which made for a jam packed dining room. The always unflappable Loreal Sherman kept everything running smoothly as usual, finding just the right table for everyone despite the SRO crowd. At Michael’s, you are where you sit after all.

I was joined today by Scott Singer, managing director of Discover Digital Group where he helps media companies identify and build e-commerce businesses, as well as assisting them in growing their existing digital assets. When he’s not navigating his clients through the changing world of social media and mobile advertising, Scott is also a passionate author. In his first book, How to Hit a Curveball: Confront and Overcome the Unexpected in Business (Portfolio, 2010), Scott took on the question on everyone’s mind at the time: how to survive and thrive after the 2008 financial meltdown and subsequent Great Recession. “I’ve spent my career advising companies (including CBS/Viacom and Disney) on how to overcome and confront change,” Scott told me. After enduring his own series of personal and professional ‘curveballs’ —  his job as head of digital media and internet infrastructure at Bear Sterns was a fatality of the tech bubble, his brother was in one of the towers at the World Trade Center on 9/11 but thankfully survived and he got divorced (“My marriage ended in a death spiral,” he writes in the book), Scott told me he learned that “None of us know what the future holds but, once you’ve learned how to confront and overcome the unexpected, it will stop making you anxious. Tomorrow will no longer be something to fear and that’s a great feeling.”

Cleverly outlining his insights using baseball terminology, Scott leads the reader from ‘spring training’ all the way through ‘an extra inning’ and includes the wisdom of those who have always aimed for the fences, like CBS honcho Les Moonves, former Time Warner CEO Jerry Levin and Michael J. Fox.

Scott’s best advice: Step up to the plate and accept what is, be the batter and keep your eye on the ball. A self-proclaimed enthusiast for the latest and best gadgets on the market, Scott says these rules are easily applicable in business, especially when it comes to new technology. Change is happening every minute and the only way to win is to embrace it and be an early adapter. Just look at our kids.

“Every child today is born digital. It’s in their DNA, while those people that are passing away are analog. We’re digital immigrants,” he says. “My 14 year-old son is my IT support. It’s amazing to think of all the innovations the digital generation is going to create.”

Read more

Here’s a look at what FishbowlNY stories made the most buzz this week.

1. Dave Price Gets Started on Good Day New York, July 2
2. Greg Kelly (left) Slides into Prime Time as Main WNYW Anchor, July 3
3. Fox 5/WNYW Rocked by Major Anchor Shakeup, June 28
4. Mike Francesa ’50-50′ on Renewing WFAN Contract in Two Years, June 29
5. Reuters Hires Caveman to Write Headlines, July 5
6. WCBS-FM Celebrating 40th with Reunion Weekend, July 3
7. With Ann Curry Pushed Aside, Savannah Guthrie Expected to Get Spot on Today Couch, June 28
8. Battle of Morning News, WLNY Debuts on The Couch, July 2
9. Sexism Struggles for WFAN’s First Voice, Suzyn Waldman: They Were ‘Terrible to Me,’ June 28
10. Lionel Poised to Take Helm of Revamped Early Morning WPIX Newscast, June 29

Keep up-to-date with the latest FishbowlNY news. Click here to sign-up for the FishbowlNY daily newsletter, bringing you our articles each afternoon directly to your inbox.

TVNewser: Just as the tears dried from Ann Curry ‘s dismissal yesterday at the Today show, Savannah Guthrie was named her replacement today. Guthrie, although with Matt, Al, and Natalie today, officially joining the morning team July 9.

FishbowlLA: Not to be the bearer of bad news, but Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are done. The couple, together for five years, had one daughter, Suri.

TVSpy: Greg Kelly bids farewell to on-air wife Rosanna Scotto (above) at Good Day New York. But Kelly hasn’t left the building, just the daypart. He gets a promotion to night time WNYW anchor.

Here’s a look at what FishbowlNY stories made the most buzz this week.

1. Christina Cuomo New EIC of Manhattan, June 27
2. WSJ Intern Fabricates Sources, June 26
3. Weighing Some Options for Sue Simmons, June 25
4. Hearst Newspapers Fires Reporter for Repeated Fabrication, June 25
5. With Ann Curry Pushed Aside, Savannah Guthrie Expected to Get Spot on Today Couch, June 28
6. The Chernoff Chronicles: Celebrating 25 Years of WFAN, June 25
7. SmartMoney Folds Print Magazine, 25 Staffers Laid Off, June 22
8. Susan White Rejoins Vanity Fair, June 26

Keep up-to-date with the latest FishbowlNY news. Click here to sign-up for the FishbowlNY daily newsletter, bringing you our articles each afternoon directly to your inbox.

• TVNewser: A look at how CNN got the Supreme Court’s ruling wrong. In the aftermath, we expect everyone not named Wolf to be fired.
• TVSpy: Ann Curry bids Today viewers an emotional goodbye.
• FishbowlLA: Tom Hanks discusses working with Nora Ephron.

The rumors have been running rampant. The speculation has been speeding through the blogosphere. This morning it became a reality! A teary-eyed Ann Curry left the Today Show as co-anchor with Matt Lauer. In one of television’s more emotional goodbyes, Curry started the final segment before 9 a.m. announcing, “This is not easy to say.”

By the time she finished the sentence telling millions that it was her final time on the program in that capacity, her voice cracked.

Curry will remain a part of Today.

“They’re giving some fancy, new titles, which essentially means that I’m going to get tickets to every big story we want to cover,” Curry says.

Curry, co-anchor with Lauer since Meredith Vieira walked away last year, saved her most emotional moment for last.

“For all of you who saw me as a groundbreaker, I’m sorry I couldn’t carry the ball over the finish line,” Curry says. “But man, I did try.”

Read more

• SocialTimes: A look at what Google+ would need to take the lead among social networking sites. Short answer: Facebook would have to disappear. Long answer: Facebook would have to disappear and Mark Zuckerberg would have to get interested in something new; like shooting marbles.
• MediaJobsDaily: Here is a list of where germs are found in the office. Only look if you are about to start working from home.
• TVSpy: Vote on who should replace Ann Curry.