As our sister site TVNewser has been reporting, there has been a media pile-on about the future of NBC’s “Today” — and specifically co-host Matt Lauer — this week. On Tuesday, an executive producer at Cleveland Fox affiliate WJW asked weekend anchor Mark Zinni, who interned at “Today” in 1997, for his take on the situation.

Zinni responded that Lauer was “not so nice” to him while he was there. The producer, Darren Sweeney, tweeted the quote, using Lauer’s twitter handle. And that’s where the snowball effect began. On Wednesday, Lauer responded:

@markzinni huh? Always tried to be nice Mark. Sorry you didn’tthink so. Hope you’re doing well.Matt

— Matt Lauer (@MLauer) March 27, 2013

Thursday, Zinni appeared on WJW to address the situation (video here). Zinni also set the record straight on WJW’s website, saying he’s not disgruntled:

If you know me, you probably know that I don’t take myself too seriously. So, my answer was more of a joke about being young and naive during my time at Today, but I added that he wasn’t nice to me.

I didn’t slam the guy, I just made an honest comment.

[...] Bottom line, I was shocked Matt Lauer even bothered with me and, really, he remembers me? I’m flattered.

I’m not disgruntled (thanks, BuzzFeed!) but I am someone who’s happy to be working at the best station in my hometown with wonderful people. By the way, Katie [Couric] and Ann [Curry] were great, but now I start my day with FOX 8 News in the Morning.

It was another winning month for “Good Day New York”: the WNYW morning show has beaten NBC’s “Today” among younger viewers for the second straight month.

“Good Day,” anchored by Greg Kelly and Rosanna Scotto, had a +9% advantage among adults 25-54, averaging 115,100 viewers in the demo to the “Today” show’s 105,400 viewers. WNYW also had a +9% advantage among women 25-54, averaging 83,100 viewers to NBC’s 76,500.

Compared to the same month last year, “Good Day New York” is up +23% and “Today” is down -27% in the A25-54 demo in the nation’s largest market.

Newly-reunited co-anchors Rosanna Scotto and Greg Kelly led WNYW to a big win during the just-finished February sweeps period: “Good Day New York” beat NBC’s “Today” among younger viewers in the New York DMA.

The win is the first for Fox O&O  in the 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. time slot since the introduction of Local People Meters in 2003.”Good Day” averaged 112,500 A25-54 viewers, compared to the “Today” show’s 102,700. “Good Day New York” also beat “Today” among A25-54 women by +21% for the sweeps period.

“Today” remains on top in Total Viewers, averaging 253,000 to “Good Day”‘s 190,000. The NBC morning show also was also on top in the 9 to 10 a.m. hour.

Just a day after Jennifer Livingston delivered a gutsy on-air editorial responding to a viewer complaint about her weight, the WKBT anchor told her story on the three network morning shows.

“This was a personal attack,” Livingston said on ABC’s “Good Morning America” (video above). “Calling me obese is one thing. Calling me a bad role model to our community that I’ve worked at for 15 years, and especially young girls when I have three girls, was a low blow. I thought it was uncalled for, and I wanted to call him out on it.”

Livingston, who is the sister of actor Ron Livingston, appeared on “GMA” with her husband, WKBT evening anchor Mike Thompson, and on NBC’s “Today” and “CBS This Morning” solo. Watch the other two appearances after the jump… Read more

NBC News president Steve Capus has issued an apology to the network’s affiliated stations after the “Today” show aired a segment with “Keeping up with the Kardashians” star Kris Jenner instead of the 9/11 moment of silence on Tuesday. The New York Times’ Bill Carter has details:

Mr. Capus sent his memo to NBC Affiliate Corporation Group executives, and began by citing the extensive coverage “Today” provided Wednesday to the attacks on the American embassies in Libya and Egypt. Then he added: “Yesterday, we made an editorial call resulting in the Sept, 11 moment of silence not being seen. While we dedicated a substantial amount of airtime to anniversary events, we still touched a nerve with many of your viewers … and for that we apologize.”

Carter also notes that NBC has no plans to apologize for the decision.  Read more

Dylan Dreyer, currently the morning and noon meteorologist at WHDH, is leaving the Boston NBC-affiliate to join NBC’s “Today,” where she’ll work as the weekend weather anchor.

A formal announcement has not yet been made but Dreyer, who has been with WHDH since 2007, confirmed in a recent tweet that she is leaving at the end of her contract for “a new opportunity.”

“Today” has been without a regular weekend weathercaster since WNBC chief meteorologist Janice Huff bid farewell to the show in April. Read more

Savannah Guthrie, an alum of KMIZ in Columbia, MO and KVOA in Tucson, made her official debut as co-host of NBC’s “Today” show Monday morning.

“It truly is a new day around here,’” Matt Lauer said, welcoming Guthrie to the host desk (video above). Read more at TVNewser

NBC made it official today: Savannah Guthrie has been named co-host of the “Today” show, one day after Ann Curry ended her year-long tenure as Matt Lauer‘s sidekick.

Guthrie, a native of Tucson, spent the early part of her career moving up the local market ladder.  She worked as a reporter at KMIZ in Columbia, MO and later at KVOA in Tucson, before attending law school.

“As soon as Savannah joined NBC News she was a standout,” “Today” executive producer Jim Bell said.  “She has a one-of-a-kind combination of sharp wit and approachability, and our viewers value her journalistic skills and legal background just as much as her humor and charm.”  Read more at TVNewser

With Ann Curry‘s exiting “Today,” viewers nationwide have seen some changes on local NBC stations.

“Today” show news reader Natalie Morales has handled the teases for the NBC affiliates for the past two weeks, according to a search of TVEyes. It was first reported last Thursday that NBC executives were preparing a plan to replace Curry before the Olympics, which begin next month.

Several NBC-affiliates reported on their early newscasts that Curry would be saying goodbye to “Today” this morning. Read more

The rumor mill about talent changes on NBC’s “Today” continues to churn. The latest news, from The Hollywood Reporter, is that Ann Curry will remain at NBC in a “substantial” role after her exit from the program, a move which is supported by the NBC affiliates, Broadcasting & Cable‘s Michael Malone reports:

The NBC affiliates have heard nothing from the network about changes to frontline talent at the venerable franchise, and several station chiefs were reluctant to speak on the record, including affiliates board chairman Jordan Wertlieb, until things are official. But several say the problems at Today, which has famously seen its lead over ABC’s Good Morning America shrink in recent months, will continue until a change is made. They echo the oft-uttered charge that Curry and Matt Lauer lack chemistry, believe she does not successfully connect with female viewers, and say Curry is too rigid on the show’s frilly bits.

“The thing we look for in television is chemistry, chemistry, chemistry,” says one East Coast GM at an NBC station who asked to not be named.  Read more