A new era has officially begun at NBC’s Today, which welcomed presumed co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, the chipper former legal correspondent, to her spot next to Matt Lauer this morning. But unlike Ann Curry’s abrupt, awkward exit at the end of June, the morning show basked in this stage of the change, dedicating on-air montages, effusive company tweets, and greatest-hits blog posts meant to melt away the bad vibes of Curry’s hush-hush departure with blasts of blonde sunshine. Even Guthrie joked that the happy clip barrage was a bit like “attending your own funeral,” and noted that her new job was “a little unexpected, as we all know.” It’s almost as if she realizes that the new bliss will only last as long as she can boost the show’s way-too-close ratings.
