Katie Couric will not return to "Today" or NBC News, despite rumors, sources told Page Six of The New York Post.
Citing an NBC News insider, the Post reported that Andrew Lack told executives at the Peacock network, where he has taken the news helm, that he and Couric have had no discussions.
In fact, the report notes, the insider said that Couric "is not welcome back at NBC's 'Today' show." The report was confirmed by Fox News.
But the rumor mill has been grinding out reports that Couric's star could be back on the rise at NBC since her former boss and mentor Lack was named chairman of NBC News and MSNBC.
Couric was the co-host of "Today" from 1991 through 2006, where she was extremely popular and helped lift NBC to gargantuan ratings victories.
In addition to the rumor that she could step in for Savannah Guthrie on "Today," Couric's name has been bandied about in rumors as a replacement for Brian Williams on "NBC Nightly News."
Williams is on a paid suspension for his repeated erroneous personal stories related to his news coverage assignments. Specifically, Williams said while he was on assignment in Iraq in 2003, a helicopter in which he flew got hit by gunfire. A Navy SEAL and others in U.S. Special Operations Command said his recollections were not accurate.
But still, rumors persist that Couric, who is an anchor at Yahoo, is angling for a return to network news. She is in negotiations with Yahoo and her reps have indicated she is happily remaining at the Internet service provider. She has been with Yahoo about a year.
Lack was instrumental in making Couric a star and played a critical role in her on-air success. He has been a brand-builder, who ran the NBC news division from 1993-2001.
But bringing back Couric is not the answer, insiders say, and there is no confirmation that Couric wants to return to the network. That being said, Couric's years at NBC marked record-setting television for the network. Paired with Matt Lauer, Couric was morning TV's sweetheart.
According to Nielsen, among total viewers, CBS is the leader for the season averaging 11.6 million viewers. NBC is in second place with 9.3 million viewers, followed by ABC with 7.9 million viewers.
In the battle of the morning shows, NBC's "Today" has fallen to second to ABC network's "Good Morning America," and the Peacock is looking to climb back to the top before ad sales and ratings season in May.
