An NBC insider who claims that Willie Geist, the co-anchor of the third hour of "Today Show," would replace Matt Lauer once he is fired from the show. Alexandra Wallace has denied the rumors of Lauer being fired.
This is the full statement by the insider as reported by RadarOnline.com:
"News executive Alexandra Wallace has told NBC bosses she will have to replace Matt if the ratings continue to tank. The TODAY show has always been considered a cash cow for the network. It dominated the morning news ratings for years and brought in millions of dollars in ad revenue.
"But, if viewers continue preferring Good Morning America over the TODAY show that revenue will decrease and cuts will have to be made.
"Matt's contract pays him $25 million-a-year, and he just signed an extension to that deal last year before the ratings started falling.
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"However, Alexandra has told her bosses if the show isn't pulling in more viewers by February, she has no alternative but to fire Matt.
"The replacement is likely to be Willie Geist. He has been wildly popular with viewers and the crew since he was named co-host of the third hour of the show."
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