The AP’s David Bauder is out with his story of regular Joes and Joans talking about why they’ve stopped watching the “Today” show. Bauder sent this Tweet in late September looking for input. And he got it. (Last week we put it to you, asking why you think “Today” is losing viewers. The poll’s still open if you’d like to vote, or see current results).

As of the week of Sept. 24, “Today” had lost 961,000 viewers (-18%) from the year ago period, and it’s down -29% in the key adult news demo. Bauder found a range of responses for “Today’s” drop, from the format, to story selection, to the host changes, especially the hiring and firing of Ann Curry and what, if anything, Matt Lauer had to do with it.

• Susan Wurtzel, 57, Germantown, MD: “Ann’s interview style was like chalk on a board to me. When she replaced Meredith (Vieira), I tried to adjust and accept, but she just didn’t work for me. Katie (Couric) and Meredith were relatable, empathetic and funny. Ann just seemed out of place.” (“Wurtzel tunes to CBS most mornings,” Bauder writes)

• William Runge, 46, a manager at an educational cable network, Winston-Salem, NC: “The PR machine at NBC spent an enormous amount of time and effort convincing me that the ‘Today’ show team was actually part of my family, ‘America’s First Family,’ These did feel like family members. So this is how you are going to treat a member of your family?”

• Lyle Nelson, 40, a salesman from Avondale, AZ, on Lauer: He’s “not someone I’d like to have a beer with.”

• John Friia, 20, aspiring journalist from Malverne, NY: “There is something about Matt Lauer, whether or not he was the reason for Curry’s firing, that has changed and I do not like watching the show anymore.”

Bauder found a third of people who responded to the Twitter request “cited its content for their discontent.”

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NBC News has shaken up its leadership team, promoting DC bureau chief Antoine Sanfuentes (left) to senior VP of NBC News, promoting David Verdi to senior VP of newsgathering, upping Ken Strickland to DC bureau chief and naming Alex Wallace (center) EP of “Rock Center.” For Wallace, it’s a return to overseeing a Brian Williams broadcast. Wallace was EP of “Nightly News” in 2007-2008.

Rome Hartman, (right) the former longtime CBS News producer who launched “Rock Center” as EP, will be shifting to the specials unit with a focus on election coverage.

Announcing the changes, NBC News president Steve Capus highlighted that the new executive ranks all came from inside NBC.

As you read the list of promotions and changes spelled out in this note, please keep in mind I’ve decided to stay inside our talent-rich organization for each of these moves – a real testament to the contributions of these individuals and the bench strength of NBC News.

Sanfuentes, who joined NBC News as a desk assistant in 1990, rose through the producer and executive ranks and was named DC bureau chief in January 2011. In his new role he will be Capus’ chief deputy at NBC News in New York. Wallace, who had been Capus #2, will remain a senior VP and will add oversight of “Rock Center” as well as “Ann Curry’s production unit and our health initiative.”

Verdi, a longtime NBC Newser, who had been VP of newsgathering, is now a senior VP, adding oversight of news affiliate partnerships and the NBC News Channel.

Joining Strickland in DC will be Meaghan Rady, once a producer for Tom Brokaw, who rose through the ranks and will now be deputy bureau chief.

“I’m grateful to Rome for his leadership, signified by Rock Center’s first Emmy last week for Bob Costas’ breakthrough interview with Jerry Sandusky,” Capus writes in his note, which you can read in full after the jump.

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“Good Morning America” wins its fourth week in a row. In fact, “GMA” had its widest lead on “Today” in both Total Viewers (+884,000) and younger viewers (+237,000) in more than 18 years. The week ending Sept. 21 caps off the third quarter and the ratings season for the morning broadcasts which saw “Good Morning America” overtake “Today.”

“GMA” wins the quarter in Total Viewers — the first time the show has won a quarter in more than 17 years (since Q2 ’95) — while “Today” takes the win in younger viewers with +117,000 lead. But the “GMA” win is impressive as it came during NBC’s coverage of the Olympics.

“GMA” grew its audience compared to the same week last year (+3% / +2%) while #3 “CBS This Morning” grew in Total Viewers (+3%) but was down slightly in younger viewers (-3%). The real story is how the “Today” show continues to struggle: the show is down -22% in Total Viewers and down down -29% in younger viewers.

The averages for the week of September 17, 2012:

• Total Viewers: ABC: 4.969M / NBC: 4.085M / CBS: 2.527M

• A25-54 viewers: ABC: 1.913M / NBC: 1.676M / CBS: 946K

The averages for Q3 2012:

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THR’s Marissa Guthrie peppered “Today” show EP Jim Bell with questions on a range of issues this morning. As “Today” continues to struggle in the ratings, and staff rumors abound, Guthrie gets Bell on the record about his future and “Today’s.”

When asked whether he regrets the decision to continue a Kris Jenner interview over the national moment of silence on 9/11/12, Bell says “probably,” adding, “I think more importantly than getting into one segment or one show, is to invite a broader comparison of the shows [Today and GMA]. The competition in this case has chosen to do a very different show. If you watch them side-by-side you’ll see. It’s worked for them in the short term. But we’re not going to do anything that’s going to hurt our brand and the legacy of the ‘Today’ show.”

Guthrie: Do you think the way the transition between Ann Curry and Savannah Guthrie was handled may have dinged Matt Lauer’s reputation?

Bell: I think it’s really unfortunate how that played out. And obviously the transition didn’t go quite as we had hoped. And Matt, I need to say for the record, really should not bear any of the blame for that. I’m the executive producer of the show. He’s not. He’s the public face of the show. So he’s taken some of this. But it has been wrong. And that fact should be corrected.

Guthrie: How do you overcome that? Do you think some viewers were turned off by that?

Bell: I suppose. But I think really one of the great things about being on the air ever day is you get to show who you are and you get to put on smart, relevant important programming. And Matt is probably the best guy to ever host morning television.

Guthrie: What’s your supreme ambition at NBCUni? Would you like to have some larger role at the news division or the sports division?

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The New York Post‘s Page Six reports that former “Today” co-anchor and current NBC news correspondent Ann Curry was supposed to be featured in a sketch at the Emmys on Sunday, but NBC executives nixed her appearance.

The sketch in question featured the cast of “Modern Family” dealing with their crazy kiddie co-star. In the version that aired, comedian Ken Jeong played a “replacement” for the child actor. The role was originally offered to Curry.

We’re told the sketch would have seen O’Neill telling Curry: “You’d be perfect . . . you’ve had some experience at this . . . ” with the camera pulling back to show the former “Today” co-host seated with him. “Ann was totally game,” a source said. But, “The idea went to NBC Universal CEO Steve Burke, who then kicked it to NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt, who nixed it.”

WATCH:

Other than a report from the London Olympics a month ago, we haven’t seen much of Ann Curry on NBC News since her departure from “Today” in June. But that will change next week as Curry is travelling to the Middle East and will report on the situation in Syria for “Today” and for “Nightly News.” NBC says Curry will report on “the unfolding humanitarian crisis in that region.”

The anchor team for “Good Morning America” appeared on CNN’s “Piers Morgan Tonight” following their recent spate of ratings wins. The morning show wars get lots of play, including the departure of Ann Curry, which Robin Roberts touched upon.

“The morning that Ann said goodbye, her goodbyes, we were watching,” Roberts said. “And we, on our program, which you don’t see very often, we spent the last couple of minutes talking about Ann Curry, on ‘Good Morning America,’ and appreciating her.”

WATCH:

After the jump, the “GMA” team explains why they think they are suddenly winning in the morning.

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“Today” anchor-at-large Ann Curry returned to the show for the first time since leaving her job as co-anchor in late June. In promoting the 8am piece, Matt Lauer teased, “Ann Curry has made her way to London.” Curry, on set with Lauer, had a piece on some of the best photography from the games. “A few days ago I saw a photograph that captured two synchronized swimmers in motion,” said Curry leading into her piece, seeming to acknowledge the stories she’ll be doing for the show are of her choosing. Curry interviewed and featured some of the photos by Australian photographer Adam Pretty.

At the close of the story Lauer said, “Ann thanks, good to see you,” which elicited a nod from Curry.

Alex has just returned from London where he stopped by the “Today” set on Monday. His story coming up later today on TVNewser.

Beyond the ratings, here’s one more indicator of the “Today” show losing out to “Good Morning America.”

Page Six reports, “Today” show superfan Linny Boyette has switched allegiances. With “Today” in London, Boyette has been spotted across town at “GMA.”

“He has been there every morning this week,” one ABC insider told us, adding, “we’ve seen him both on- and off-camera.” Boyette even posed for a pic with Lara Spencer, Josh Elliott, Sam Champion and Amy Robach. Ripples were mostly made on a Facebook fan page devoted to Boyette. But it remains to be seen where he’ll wind up post-Olympics.

In 2010, TodayShow.com produced a story on Linny who takes the subway down from the Bronx every morning to watch the show from the plaza. Al Roker calls him “a good luck charm. When we don’t see him, we feel a little off.”

In the piece, Linny says Ann Curry was his favorite. “Everyone loves her and Meredith is #2,” Linny adds.

The NY Times‘ Brian Stelter writes about NBC’s “Today” at the Olympics… and beyond. “Today” typically benefits ratings-wise when the Olympics are happening, an advantage that is even more important given the see-saw ratings between the program and competitor “Good Morning America” on ABC in recent months.

Stelter explains how “Today” handles the games (and notes that Ann Curry will be contributing, though she hasn’t as of yet), but there was also a tease about potential changes down the line:

What happens after the Games is anyone’s guess. “Coming out of the Olympics, it’s a good time to look at the show. Maybe do some things a little bit differently,” Mr. Nash said. But he gave no hints of what they could be, besides a few new segments.

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