‘Today’ shifts to typical format during search for Nancy Guthrie

NBC’s “Today” morning program for its second consecutive broadcast opted to open with stories other than the one about the search for the mother of co-host Savannah Guthrie, a character producer on the show who tries to juggle the program’s daily duties with reporting on their colleague’s heartbreaking situation.

Nancy Guthrie has been missing since Jan. 31, and since that time, NBC News properties have heavily spotlighted the search for her, with the story receiving strong placement on “Today” and “NBC Nightly News,” as well as the live-streamed service NBC News Now. “Today” has led to reporting on what is believed to be a kidnapping; how authorities follow leads; and how people from across the country are supporting Savannah Guthrie and her family.

On Thursday, however, “Today” led its newscast with reporting on the arrest of former Prince Andrew in Britain before moving on to analysis of the Nancy Guthrie case. And on Friday, co-hosts Craig Melvin and Hoda Kotb, who are filling in for Savannah Guthrie this week, cycled through stories about severe weather, the Olympics and the aftermath of the former royal family’s arrest in England before presenting a segment on the latest news in the Guthrie case.

Producers and staffers at “Today” are focused on trying to carry on as usual while addressing the enormous national interest in the case, according to a person familiar with the program, and trying to support their colleague. That support was clear on the screen Friday, as it has been all week. Melvin, Kotb and Al Roker were all spotted wearing yellow ribbons in support of the Guthries, and the “Today” studio is decorated with yellow flowers visible on camera.

“This is an interesting case study playing out in real time with no clear or obvious answers,” said Ben Bogardus, chairman of Quinnipiac University’s journalism department. The hosts and staffers of “Today” are obviously very close to their colleague, so the show’s coverage of the case will receive some attention. The best compromise, he suggests, “is for the ‘Today Show’ hosts to acknowledge their feelings and relationship with Guthrie and make it clear that their treatment of the story is different than they would handle a similar case not involving their friend. Viewers will understand and accept this, and can watch NBC’s reporting with that knowledge in mind.”

“Today” has seen viewership rise in recent days as audiences tune in for the latest details — but part of that boost is due to NBCUniversal’s recent coverage of the Milan Winter Olympics, broadcasts that typically draw a broader audience to the company’s media properties.

For the five days ending Feb. 13, “Today” saw its viewership increase 30% from the year-earlier period, with an average of 3.48 million viewers, according to Nielsen. According to Nielsen, the audience in the target group most coveted by advertisers, people between the ages of 25 and 54, increased by 8% to an average of 697,000.

According to Nielsen, “Good Morning America” averaged nearly 2.91 million viewers during the same period, and 475,000 viewers between the ages of 25 and 54. “CBS Mornings” averaged nearly 1.7 million viewers, according to Nielsen, and 238,00 viewers between the ages of 25 and 54.

According to Nielsen data, “Today” attracted about 43% of the audience for all three broadcast morning programs, compared to 36% for “GMA” and 21% for “CBS Mornings.”