Savannah Guthrie in place on "Today" after Ann Curry's departure

Savannah Guthrie appears on the "Today" show set during a broadcast on Aug. 10, 2011, in New York.

/ AP/NBC

(CBS/AP) NEW YORK - There's no word if she has the job full-time, but Savannah Guthrie was seated in Ann Curry's former chair as co-host of NBC's "Today" show on Friday morning.

Guthrie sat beside Matt Lauer, discussing stories about the Colorado wildfires and Supreme Court health care decision and later making Fourth of July party decorations and dancing to a Maroon 5 concert. Neither one made mention of her new presence on the show.

Pictures: Savannah Guthrie

She filled in for Curry, who gave a tearful goodbye Thursday as she was cut loose after one year as Lauer's co-host.

Pictures: Ann Curry

NBC hasn't said anything publicly about who will replace Curry full-time, and nothing was said during the first two hours of the show. The show's introduction, which normally announces the show's hosts, omitted that feature on Friday.

The turnover comes as NBC's profitable morning show faces its most serious ratings challenge since the mid-1990s. from ABC's "Good Morning America."

15 Photos

Savannah Guthrie

[yellowbug1949]

What a shame the network doesn't see the reason ratings are dropping is because of Matt Lauer, he is not engaging and stuck on himself. Hope he is worth the huge raise...I'll now be watching "Good Morning America"! Best wishes to Ann, she can truly hold her head high, a real role model for our youth. As for Savannah, remember to watch your back!

[Jaylah54200]

I'm hoping it won't be too long before we hear that Ann is leaving for another network.

NBC doesn't deserve her.

[sanfranciscosuzanne]

If the Today show treats Ann like this, how do you think they are going to treat you Savannah?????

I will be watching Good Morning America, they actually seem like nice folks!

[woody_Smith]

Softcore news and cooking and decorating ideas. It's not the people that are boring the audience to change it's the show.

[Thisvotecounts]

Well, the next time the Today Show plays the "Where in the World is Matt Lauer", we can pretty much rule out that it's standing behind Ann Curry. Nice going Matt and NBC. You've done a wonderful job of picking up where Bryant Gumbel left off. You've deftly humiliated a good woman who deserved better after 15+ years, (whether she was right for the job or not), and once again shown us that no woman is more important than her self-absorbed male co-host, as long as there's a bus left to throw her under. At home or on the set. My oh my, what you've managed to become.

[ssporleder]

Ann's departure was like the rest of us when getting fired, but she got the basically got the ax on live TV instead of behind closed doors.


And then to have ANYONE sitting next to Matt a short while later, let alone the very next day, was hideous.


I think the whole thing was so poorly handled, and I am never watching the Today show again, but too bad they will not even notice or care.


CBS and ABC are far more than just competent alternatives.

[ssporleder]

Ann's departure was like the rest of us when getting fired, but she got the basically got the ax on live TV instead of behind closed doors.


And then to have ANYONE sitting next to Lauer a short while later, let alone the very next day, was hideously cruel.


I think the whole thing was so poorly handled, and I am never watching the Today show again, but too bad they will not even notice or care.

CBS and ABC are far more than just competent alternatives.

[Godeffroy22]

I will be switching to another channel for a LONG while.....Ann Curry was the only reason I watched the show. Don't like the idea that
after all the years she was on, SHE gets the blame for the low ratings.\ Maybe she should have been asked how to bring the ratings up as no one else seems to be able to do it. Edie

[Virilene]

Curry was far too earnest. She should've been more fake and outright duplicitious like erstwhile pretty-boy and forever philanderer Lauer.