Matt Lauer, a resident show host at NBC's "Today" will still be hanging around for a few more years, especially now that it has lost its morning show dominance to "Good Morning America." Lauer has been with the show for twenty years now, and has been a co-host since 1997.
The network stated that Lauer agreed to extend his contract for several years more. However, there was no indication as precisely how long this stay will be. Lauer's latest extension with the network was in 2012. The terms of the contract were not disclosed.
To date, Lauer is the longest-lasting host in what is regarded as the most profitable time of day for broadcast news divisions. This is perhaps the reason why Lauer is considered as one of the highest-paid people when it comes to TV news.
Lauer's future relationship with the network has been in question for quite some time now. Only last week, Lauer informed the big bosses of NBC that he decided to stay and that the agreement for him to do so was settled quite quickly. He informed his colleagues at "Today" on Thursday that he was, in fact, staying. The source of this information is an NBC executive whose identity will not be disclosed, since the network has made it a point not to talk to the public regarding their contracts.
NBC News president Deborah Turness said, "We couldn't be more thrilled with Matt's decision. As I've said many times before, he's the best in the business, and there is nobody I would rather have in the 'Today' anchor chair than Matt."
56-year-old Lauer said in his statement, "I consider this the best job in broadcasting. I love the people I work with every day and I have such respect and gratitude for the people I work for. I couldn't be happier to be staying."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
