Don’t underestimate just how important Hoda Kotb has been to NBC News and, in particular, the “Today” show.

Kotb, who has been at “Today” for nearly two decades, announced on air Thursday that she was stepping down from the show early next year. She just turned 60 in August and said, “I realized that it was time for me to turn the page at 60, and to try something new.”

But back to her impact before talking about what’s next for her and the show.

Kotb was a mainstay in the 10 a.m. hour of “Today,” and was paired with co-host Kathie Lee Gifford. The two meshed perfectly talking about everything from carefree celebrity gossip to serious topics, particularly medical issues involving women.

Then came the bombshell on Nov. 29, 2017. That morning, Kotb joined “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie on air to tell the world that longtime and popular “Today” show co-host Matt Lauer had been fired after a female colleague accused him of sexual misconduct.

NBC turned to Kotb to take over as an emergency co-host with Guthrie. Within weeks, because of her professionalism and on-air chemistry with Guthrie, Kotb was named a permanent co-host. And partly thanks to Kotb, the show navigated its way through the Lauer mess and continued to draw strong viewership numbers.

The New York Times’ Michael M. Grynbaum and John Koblin wrote, “‘Today’ has a comfortable ratings lead over ABC and CBS among adults under the age of 54, the age bracket vital to advertisers. Over the last year, ABC’s ‘Good Morning America’ continues to hold a lead in total viewers, but ‘Today’ has won the key ratings demographic for 58 consecutive weeks, its biggest winning streak in more than three years.”

Kotb, who joined NBC as a correspondent on “Dateline” in 1998, isn’t walking away altogether. She plans to do other things for NBC, although that hasn’t been announced yet.

Kotb told The New York Times, “I just thought the universe was speaking to me. This is a time in life for looking inside you, and figuring out what your yearnings are, your callings — where or what direction you’re headed during this new decade.”

She also wants to spend more time with her young children. She adopted her oldest daughter in 2017 and then her second daughter in 2019.

Kotb told the Times, “I have a time pie in front of me, and I think my kids deserve a bigger slice of that pie.”

What’s next?

So what does NBC News do now? Kotb leaves behind one of the most coveted gigs in TV news — co-host of a morning show. Actually, Kotb is leaving two chairs open. She was still co-hosting the 10 a.m. alongside Jenna Bush Hager.

CNN’s Jordan Valinsky and Brian Stelter reported NBC wouldn’t likely name her successor for several months. Not that there’s a rush, since Kotb isn’t leaving until early 2025.

A leading contender to replace Kotb is “Today” show news anchor Craig Melvin, who often fills in as co-host when Kotb or Guthrie is out. Other names being floated out there include “Today 3rd Hour” co-host Sheinelle Jones; Carson Daly, who is part of the current “Today” show cast; and “Today” weather correspondent Dylan Dreyer.

Of course, NBC News could go outside the current “Today” family.

CNN’s next phase

When Mark Thompson took over as the boss at CNN just about a year ago, he was very clear about his vision. CNN, he said, had to up its digital game to keep up with the competition in the news business.

Well, CNN is taking a major step in its digital game. Starting next month, it will experiment with a paywall for its much-read website.

The New York Times’ Benjamin Mullin reported, “The company is planning a so-called metered model, which will require the site’s habitual users to pay after reading a certain number of articles, (sources) said. Many other publishers, including The New York Times and The New Yorker, have used metered paywalls to generate subscriptions over the past decade. The starting price of a subscription is unclear. But the two people said that CNN would start with an inexpensive offering to gauge customer demand.”

CNN’s website attracts hundreds of millions of visitors each month. The big question, of course, is whether those who read CNN often are willing to pay for their online content.

Surprising layoff at ESPN

ESPN’s layoffs have claimed another well-known personality.

The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reports that NBA senior writer Zach Lowe has been let go.

This came as a surprise, considering ESPN just lost NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, who stunningly left to take a job in the athletic department of his alma mater, St. Bonaventure. Lowe and Wojnarowski don’t do the exact same thing, but it’s curious ESPN would part ways with one high-profile member of their NBA coverage so soon after losing another. And even though it was left off the hook for Wojnarowski’s $7 million a year salary, ESPN still decided to trim its payroll by laying off Lowe.

Marchand wrote, “Lowe’s salary, which was in excess of seven figures annually, was the biggest factor in ESPN’s decision, according to sources briefed on the terms of his contract. He is expected to be the final layoff of this round.”

Lowe, one of the more respected NBA voices out there, had been at ESPN for 12 years. Lowe’s layoff follows other notable cuts that claimed NFL analyst Robert Griffin III and NFL host Samantha Ponder in August.

The Washington Post’s Ben Strauss wrote, “Lowe has been a mainstay of NBA coverage at the network since he was hired by Bill Simmons to cover the league for Grantland, the now-defunct online magazine. He was part of a group of progressive-minded writers whose coverage focused on statistical analysis, and he was one of the first sportswriters to include detailed video breakdowns in his columns.”

Simmons now runs The Ringer, and Lowe often appears on Simmons’ podcast. So, perhaps, Lowe could join The Ringer. Lowe also was hosting his own podcast, “Lowe Post.”

And now for more media news, tidbits and interesting links for your weekend review …

• The pro-Trump, right-wing cable station Newsmax has settled its big defamation lawsuit with the voting machine company Smartmatic just as the trial was about to begin. Terms were not immediately disclosed. CNN’s Marshall Cohen wrote, “A loss at trial could have put Newsmax on the hook to pay tens of millions of dollars to Smartmatic, putting the small cable channel in financial peril.” Smartmatic had accused Newsmax of amplifying false claims that its machines rigged the voting count to sway the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden over Trump. Newsmax is still facing a defamation suit from Dominion Voting Systems. Dominion, you will remember, received $787 million when Fox News agreed to settle a defamation lawsuit. Far-right channel One America News settled with Smartmatic earlier this year. And Smartmatic still has a pending suit against Fox News, which has denied Smartmatic’s allegations.
• Here’s the statement from Smartmatic: “We are very pleased to have secured the completion of the case against Newsmax. We are now looking forward to our court day against Fox and Fox News for their disinformation campaign. Lying to the American people has consequences. Smartmatic will not stop until the perpetrators are held accountable.”
• CNN’s Hadas Gold with “Murdoch family holds its breath as future of media empire hangs in the balance.”
• The BBC’s Nick Marsh with “Hong Kong jails two journalists for sedition.”
• Former first lady Melania Trump gave a rare interview, talking with Fox News’ Ainsley Earhardt for a segment on “Fox & Friends.” The New York Times’ Katie Rogers broke it down with three takeaways from the interview.
• Following Donald Trump posting on social media that he hates Taylor Swift, my Poynter colleague Roy Peter Clark writes “Breaking down Donald Trump’s use of the word ‘hate.’”
• The New York Times’ Katie Robertson and Mike Isaac with “Spurned by Social Media, Publishers Chase Readers on WhatsApp.”
• The Baltimore Banner’s Tim Prudente, Brenna Smith and Daniel Zawodny with “Down in that metal nightmare: Untold stories of the Key Bridge disaster.”
• NewsNation is producing a documentary on President Bill Clinton. “Clinton: Portrait of a Presidency,” is scheduled to air at 8 p.m. Eastern on Nov. 3. The two-hour doc will be narrated by actor Blair Underwood.
• Writing for The Washington Post, Will Leitch with “The new ‘Matlock’ is for old people. That’s why Gen X loves it.”
• The Los Angeles Times’ Meredith Blake, Matt Brennan, Amy Kaufman, Ashley Lee, Mark Olsen, Mark E. Potts and Glenn Whipp with “17 actors, writers, directors and ‘SNL’ alumni choose their top sketch of all time.”

More resources for journalists

• Free webinar: The journalists’ guide to debunking health misinformation
• Build a framework for ethics and standards around AI in Level Up.
• Are you an upcoming-and-coming newsroom manager?

Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at tjones@poynter.org.

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