“NBC News executives have had several meetings” with Meredith Vieira recently, “and her longtime agent, Michael Glantz, has been spotted frequently at NBC’s Rockefeller Plaza headquarters,” Gail Shister reports this morning. “…Vieira, 54, is said to top NBC’s wish list for Today. Her name was first pitched by Today coanchor Matt Lauer, industry sources say.”

At the end of the column, Glantz says/negotiates/spins: “I’d be surprised if it [Today] ever came to pass. Meredith has never said to me, ‘I want to do morning TV.’ Ever. She won’t let me pursue it [Today]. If NBC calls us, I guess I’m allowed to talk to them.”

> Feb. 6: This Is ‘Today’ With Meredith Vieira?