NBC’s big gamble on Megyn Kelly taking over Tamron Hall’s old timeslot continues to not pay off the way they expected.
According to Page Six, producers were hoping for a ratings bonanza with Harvey Weinstein accuser Lauren Sivan on “Megyn Kelly Today” last week but only ended up with lower ratings, as viewership slipped from 0.77 ratings points on Monday to 0.54 ratings points on Tuesday.
“It’s a possible all-time low for ‘Today.’ It may even be lower than her [Fox] cable show. [NBC News president] Noah [Oppenheim] and [NBC News and MSNBC chairman] Andy [Lack] are in big trouble,” a source told Page Six.
Another source added, “That’s a big drop. They have to turn this around.”
Kelly also appeared for the first time on MSNBC earlier this week.
“It’s unthinkable. You don’t see Matt [Lauer] or Savannah [Guthrie] on MSNBC … It’s not a good sign.”
Kelly’s poor ratings have also affected “Kathie Lee & Hoda,” Page Six reported after Kelly’s hour of “Today” was down 32 percent as compared to a year ago, while “Kathie Lee & Hoda” fell 26 percent. Insiders are reportedly blaming that on Kelly’s “weak lead-in.”
But on Friday, an NBC insider insisted: “Megyn’s having a strong week. Her numbers are up double-digits versus last week,” and “NBC News anchors appear frequently on MSNBC.”
