“Today” co-host Ann Curry says goodbye

On Thursday, NBC’s “Today” co-host Anny Curry made a tearful good-bye to her viewers. Ann Curry admitted the farewell was spoken years sooner than expected. After spending 15 years with NBC, Curry only worked as co-host for the show for only one year.

The former co-host started her broadcast career as an intern for KTVL in Oregon in 1978. At KTVL her status quickly rose from intern to their first female reporter. In 1980 she worked as an anchor and reporter for KGW. Both of the stations were NBC-affiliated back then. In Los Angeles, in 1984, she began her job as a reporter for KCBS-TV. During her six years working for the station Curry received two Emmy Awards.

Ann Curry began her long-standing professional career with NBC in 1990. For her efforts and work, Curry was given the anchor job for “NBC News at Sunrise.” In 1997 she recieved the news anchor position for the “Today” show on the newly launch MSNBC. Curry stayed with the show in that role until June 2011. In addition to being anchor for “Today,” Curry was also the anchor for “Dateline NBC” from May 2005 to September 2011.

The former anchor and co-host is well known for many of her global humanitarian efforts through her traveling and reporting in remote areas.

“During the span of one year, from March 2006 to March 2007, she traveled three times to Sudan to report on the violence and ethnic cleansing taking place in Darfur and Chad.  While there, she provided in-depth reports focusing on the victims who have been caught in the deadly conflict of that region, and she also conducted exclusive interviews with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and Chadian President Idrsiss Deby.” (MSNBC)

Throughout Curry’s whole career she has been awarded five Emmys, four Golden Mikes, three Gracie Allen wards, and many Associated Press Certificates of Excellence.

Now, after 15 years spent on the “Today” show, first as anchor then co-host, she said her tearful good-byes to her audience. There has been speculations that NBC had made the decision due to the show’s fallen ratings. When Curry replaced Meredith Vieira as Matt Lauer’s co-host last year, ABC’s “Good Morning America” caught up with “Today” in ratings. When NBC’s rival, ABC, started winning a few ratings, the network decided to find a solution. Curry’s replacement has not been announced to the public yet. Some viewers believe that Savannah Guthrie will get the position. 

So what will be Curry’s future? The network has given her the title as NBC News National and International Correspondent/Anchor and “Today” Anchor at Large. Through her new position she will be doing some world traveling to find breaking stories.

Photos courtesy of David Shankbone, US Navy Photographer’s Mate 1st Class Arlo K. Abrahamson, and US Navy Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Rob Rubio