As TODAY Ratings Continue To Struggle, Staffers Feel 'It Was A Mistake' To Replace Ann Curry

By Jen Heger - RadarOnline.com Assistant Managing Editor

Despite huge efforts by TODAY show producers, Good Morning America continues to nip at their heels in the ratings war, and staffers of the embattled morning show are grumbling that they feel it was a mistake to replace co-anchor Ann Curry with Savannah Guthrie, RadarOnline.com is exclusively reporting.

"The staffers of the TODAY show miss Ann tremendously and feel it was a mistake to replace her with Savannah," a source close to the situation tells RadarOnline.com. "Ann had been part of the TODAY show for over 15 years, and her send off was just horribly executed. It's not lost on anyone that GMA beat the TODAY show on Wednesday in the ratings yet again. Viewers have had enough and the show just isn't staying relevant. Morale is extremely low and something is going to need to change very quickly before they can get the TODAY show back in first place for good."

The TODAY show beat GMA on Monday and Tuesday, but the ABC show won the ratings race on Wednesday when Robert Pattinson did his first morning show interview since the cheating scandal involving girlfriend Kristen Stewart erupted.

As RadarOnline.com previously reported, during Thursday's show Al Roker seemed to take a dig at Matt Lauer for throwing Ann "under the bus."

"The ladies threw you in the water after winning the gold?" Lauer asked Olympic women's rowing team member and California-native, Mary Whipple. "The tradition here in New York is you throw her in the Hudson River."

Roker cheekily quipped: "Which is different to our tradition here which is to throw one of us under the bus! But that's a different story…"

After a second of stunned silence -- and nervous laughter -- both Lauer and Guthrie, said with a sarcastic tone, "Mr. Roker!"

The sly dig comes just a week after Ann practically stonewalled Lauer and his awkward attempts at small talk in her very first appearance on the TODAY show in London since she was replaced with Savannah earlier this summer.

"The crew would LOVE Ann back on set, some have even suggested privately that Matt Lauer take a long vacation and see how the ratings would shake out in that scenario," the source says.

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